DESIGN, NO. XVII. 




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APPLET O.N A N P. CO'MP A ST Y 

18a6. 



tillage mrtr Jfarm Cottages. 



THE REQUIREMENTS OF 



AMERICAN VILLAGE HOMES 



CONSIDERED AND SUGGESTED; 



WITH DESIGNS FOR SUCH HOUSES 



OF MODERATE COST. 



BY 
HENRY W.CLEAVELAND, WILLIAM BACKUS, AND SAMUEL D. BACKUS. 



NEW YORK : 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 

346 & 348 BROADWAY. 

1856. 



Cc. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, 

By CLEAVELAND & BACKUS BROTHERS, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District 

of New York. 



"Gift from 
Mrs. Etta F. Winter 
Sept. 20 1932 



PREFACE. 



IN preparing the following pages of designs and hints, 
we have had in .view a class, numerous and important in 
every community, "but specially so in ours — comprehend- 
ing mechanics and tradesmen of moderate circumstances, 
the small farmer, and the laboring man generally. 
Fortunately for these, labor here is still remunerative, 
while land and building material are abundant and cheap. 
A modest home, which he may call his own, is beyond 
the reach of no capable and industrious man. It is a 
laudable ambition which prompts him to strive for such 
an object; and in no way, perhaps, can we serve him and 
his family more effectually than by encouraging his 
efforts. 

We have endeavored to provide the villager of lim- 
ited means with a plan for his small house, in which 
strict economy shall be combined with comfort, good 
looks, and substantial value. 




IV PREFACE. 

Convenience, facility in doing the family work, and 
pleasantness of internal aspect and arrangements, were 
our first aim. In the building and furnishing of a house, 
surely, if any where, charity should begin at home. 
Over all other considerations, the pleasure and advantage 
of its future occupants claim undeniable precedence. 

But true charity does not stop where it begins. In 
the minor, as well as greater moralities, it respects the 
rights of others, and gladly ministers not only to their 
wants, but to their tastes. To improve the form, decora- 
tion, and finish of the exterior, and the general character 
of its surroundings — though a secondary consideration — 
is by no means an unimportant one. And, hence, we 
have given to this point very careful attention. 

We believe that every improvement in the abodes of 
men, which renders them more neat, comfortable, and 
pleasing, contributes not only to physical enjoyment, but 
to mental and moral advancement. This idea, so im- 
portant and encouraging, is presented more fully in the 
book. 

The admirable publications of the much lamented 
Downing gave a new and lasting impulse to the arch: 
tecture of our country residences. We shall feel re- 
warded if we may be considered to have done something 
in the same direction, with regard to an humbler class 
of structures. 

In the designs here offered, and in the remarks which 
precede and accompany them, we have endeavored to 



PREFACE. V 

exhibit correct principles in art, and to foster a pure and 
just taste. In these alone is to be found the corrective 
power that can check the universal tendency to imita- 
tion, — a passion which almost invariably prefers the 
meretricious to the true. 

In every part of the work we have endeavored to 
secure accuracy and thoroughness. The perspectives 
have all been delineated on the blocks by ourselves, — 
having been reduced from working drawings, executed 
with mathematical exactness. 

If we have introduced, sometimes, topics and consider- 
ations not strictly applicable to village cottages like 
these of ours, our apology is, that we address men accus- 
tomed to read and think, — men of energy and progress, 
— not a few of whom will build better houses one of 
these days. The lesson taught, if it be good, will not be 
thrown away. 

For presenting some other matters here, which are 
not exactly architectural, we have no better reason to 
give than that we regard them as important, and believe 
they will be useful. 

Most of the landscapes, foliage, etc., the initial cuts, 
and other embellishments, are due to the skillful pencil 
of Mr. F. A. Chapman, and speak their own praise. 
We believe the same will be said of Mr. Howland's en- 
graving. 



NOTICE. 

For the convenience of such as may wish to build after any of the 
designs in this work, the Authors have prepared careful, lithographed 
working drawings and printed specifications for each. These comprise 
every thing necessary to enable any competent workman fully to under- 
stand the plans. They will be forwarded, together with blank forms 
of contract, by mail, on receipt of a special application, and remittance, 
at the following rates : — For any one of the first ten designs, $3. For 
Numbers 11, 12, 13, and 14, $4 each. For the last ten, $5 each. 

They will be pleased to answer any inquiries that may arise, and to 
make such suggestions relative to the execution of the designs in par- 
ticular localities, as the circumstances of the case, and the information 
furnished, shall seem to require. 

Address Cleaveland & Backus Brothers, 

Architects, 41 Wall Street, New York. 



CONTENTS 



♦ • • 



CHAPTER I. 

THE HOUSE CONSIDERED IN ITS INFLUENCE ON THE OCCUPANTS. 

The Architecture of Instinct and of Reason — Influence of the dwelling on human char- 
acter — Motives for the improvement of domestic architecture — Consideration for 
the young, ........ 1 

CHAPTER II. 

THE VALUE OF A PERMANENT HOME. 

Ownership desirable — Evils of tenant life — The true remedy for exorbitant rents — 
Owner and tenant contrasted — Salutary memories, ... 5 

CHAPTER III. 

HOME EST THE COUNTRY. 

A permanent home attainable — It should be in the country — It can be there — The los3 
— The gain in comfort, economy, health, happiness, and virtue — In the country 
only is Nature seen and felt — Such a life favors individuality and independence — ■ 
Mistaken notions in regard to it, . . . . .11 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE VILLAGE. 

Villages of Natural Growth — Their origin and character — Suggestions concerning 
streets, grading, public grounds, and buildings — The village farm-house. Manu- 



V1U CONTENTS. 

factoring Villages — Good opportunities for improving village architecture — 
Inducements thereto — Double houses — Location. Suburban Villages — Of recent 
origin and great importance — Principles which should govern in the selection of 
sites — A thought for the philanthropic capitalist — The bequest of Abbot Lawrence 
— Objections to rectangular plans — Imitative tendencies — Inappropriate models — 
The country village should be consistent — It is a distinct form of social life — Its 
true relations and real advantages, . . . . .17 



CHAPTER V. 

THE CHOICE OF A LOT. 

The first question to be settled — Considerations of business, neighborhood, church, 
school, social enjoyment, etc. — Cost and prospective value — Adaptedness to build- 
ing purposes — Healthfulness, water, soil, exposure, dimensions — Relations of the 
building to the ground, and to the scenery — The prospect, . . 31 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE ADOPTION OP A PLAN. 

A well considered plan as important for the small house as the large — Its requirements 
and benefits — The special wants of the family to be first considered — To adapt a 
building to its purposes should be the primary and main object in architecture — 
Truthfulness — Utility before show — Essential requisites — Arrangement of rooms 
— The house a teacher — Mistaken notions of architectural beauty — The effect on 
market value, of judicious restrictions and improvements — The moral power of 
neatness and beauty — President Dwight — Consistency — Economy, not always 
secured by cheap building — How a plan may be procured — The empirical house- 
builder — "Practical men" — Professional aid no less useful for small houses than 
for large — Professional responsibility — Pattern houses — Published designs — Danger 
of attempting alterations, . . . . 39 



CHAPTER VII. 

PRINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 

Important preliminary — Unwise frugality — How to lessen expense — Economy not a 
thing to be ashamed of, nor inconsistent with beauty and convenience. Mate- 
rials — Stone, bricks, wood — A plea for wood — Concrete walls not advisable — 
Dishonest imitations — Objections to stucco. Style — Should be regulated by 
right principles of design — Wrong notions in regard to ornament — The Greek and 
the Gothic — Objections to the former — Domestic architecture should lead the way 
in improvement — Absurdities of imitation — The passion for novelty — The tastes 



CONTENTS. IX 

and habits of the occupant not to be disregarded — Style as modified by material, 
scenery, position, and climate, ...... 56 

CHAPTER VIII. 

COTTAGES OF ONE STORY. 

The choice of such structures often compulsory — Their advantages — Precaution against 
damp and impure air. Design I. — Description — Entrance halls — Cost $575- 
Note on estimates. Design II. — Described — Site and object suggested — Cost 
$625 — Note on the Landscape and foliage accompaniments. Design III. — An 
irregular house — Supposed history — Cost $650. Design P7. — The Description — 
Cost $1,000 — Inclosed spaces, . . . . . . .69 



CHAPTER IX. 

COTTAGES of one story and attic. 

Their faults, as usually built, may be avoided. Design V. — Description — Points of 
difference — Cost $820. Design VI. — Description — Section — Cost $900. Design 
VH.— Described — Cost $1,000. Design VHI. — Description — Symmetry with 
variety — Cost $950. Design IX. — Description — Plans that may be reversed — 
Cost $1,075. Design X. — Characteristics — Description — Appropriate position — 
Cost $1,100. Design XI. — Description — Cost $1,500. Design XII. — Character 
and arrangement — Suitable position — The plan easily spoiled — Cost $1,625, 77 



CHAPTER X. 

hill-side cottages. 

Peculiarities and merits of hill-side positions — The house should conform to the site — 
Practical advantages — Subterrene basements condemned — Precautionary direc- 
tions. Design XHI. — position, arrangements, characteristics, material, and con- 
struction — The roof — General remarks — Ruskin — Cost $1,300. Design XIV. — 
Position and form — Description — The stairs — Comparative merits of vertical 
boarding and clapboards — Cost $1,375, .... 88 



CHAPTER XL 

HOUSES OF TWO STOREES. 

Diversities of taste — Proportion — Finish. Design XV. — Village imitation of city 
houses — This design is a modification — Kitchen above ground — Chimneys central 
— Bay window — General remarks — Balcony — Cornice — Cost 1,250. Design 



CONTENTS. 

XVI. — More original — Proper position — Cost $1,200. Design XVII. (Frontis- 
piece) — Not properly a cottage — Its purpose — Arrangement — Chimneys — Windows 
—Cost $1,875, 98 



CHAPTER XII. 

FARM-HOUSES. 

The village farm-house. Design XVIII. — Importance of the Kitchen — Rooms for 
farm work — Rear building — Parlor for use — Second floor — Walls — Expression — 
Cost $1,900. Design XIX. — More of elegance — Regularity — Conveniences — 
Second floor — Ornamental details — Cost $2,700. Design XX. — Subdued expres- 
sion — Material and finish — Interior— One story extension — Cost $2,450, 106 



CHAPTER XIII. 

DOUBLE COTTAGES. 

The advantage, in certain cases, of double tenements, in regard to appearance and 
economy — Division of the grounds. Design XXI. — Arrangement and expression 
—Cost $2,150. Design XXII.— Cost $1,950. Design XXIIL— Described— 
The verge-board — Machine-made ornament — Cost $3,000. Design XXIV. — An 
objection obviated — Description — Recesses — Suited to a large village — Cost 
$3,000, 115 

CHAPTER XTV. 

interiors. 

Walls — Plastering — Papering— Hints. Stairs — Their greatest and most common 
fault. Mouldings — Painting — The merits of graining examined — Use of woods 
in their native colors — Variegated floors. Windows — Window-seats, blinds, 
shades, curtains. Kitchens — Fireplaces — Door-bell — Ice — Furniture — 
Should be appropriate to the rooms — Fashion an unsafe guide — Cheap mock- 
fashionable furniture neither comfortable, tasteful, nor durable — Home-made fur- 
niture recommended, . . . . . . .123 



CHAPTER XV. 

HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION. 

Needful precautions — Working plans for the mechanics, and full descriptions and speci- 
fications — Nothing gained by hard bargains — The plan should be well considered, 
and closely adhered to — Importance of providing seasoned stuff — Foundations — 
Cellars, how secured against water, heat, frost, and rats — How to retain heat — 



CONTENTS. XI 

Double walls, partitions, windows — Plan for double windows with single sash — 
The open fireplace — Stoves inevitable — The cooking stove — The open ptove — 
Chimneys placed centrally — Cheap way of warming chambers — Ventilation and 
ventilators — A simple and economic method — Ventilation of sleeping rooms — Use 
of air-space under roofs — Section — Both window-sashes should be movable — 
Hipped roofs, how to be shingled— Roof valleys and chimney joinings, how made 
tight — Water-closets — Health, comfort, and decency demand that they should be 
within — How they may be made and kept inoffensive — The proper size and shape 
of flooring timbers — Cross-braces — Deafened floors — Outside timbers — Studding, 
furring, and lathing — Shingled roofs should not be painted — Outside walls require 
it — Choice of colors — Cautions against disorder and nuisances while building — A 
common misapprehension, ...... 135 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 

The home not complete if the grounds are neglected. Grading — Ease of access im- 
portant. Draining — Form of surface — Terraces objectionable as ornaments — 
Artificial improvements should harmonize with natural features — Two common 
errors — Trees, rocks, brooks. Disposition of the Ground — Not a few attempt 
too much — Convenience and looks alike to be considered — Place for fruit-trees, 
flower-beds, etc. — Grass commended for front plots — The lawns of England — How 
to make and keep a beautiful lawn — Tree-planting, often excessive and injudicious 
— How to shut out the sun — Hints — Work for children — A place for play. 
Paths — When they should be straight, and when winding. Fences — Should 
conform to the house in • general style — The high, close fence, where proper — 
where not — The wire fence — The live hedge — Wood fences — Posts — Gates — 
Design for high picket fence — Improved fence of common fencing lath — Plan and 
section — Two designs for baluster fence. Drainage — Essential to health and 
comfort — Suggestions — Kitchen-drain, how to be guarded — Fatal consequences of 
neglect — The stench-trap — Section. Cisterns — Rain — Its abundance — Its purity 
— How we let it run away, and then work hard to get it back — Filtering processes 
— Filtering vessels — The filtering cistern — Section — Improvements on this — How 
to construct a cistern — Vast importance of this topic. House Plot — An illustra- 
tion rather than pattern — Description — References. The Street — What interest 
and duty dictate in regard to it — Side-walks, gutters, banks — Trees — Hitching- 
post — Teaching by example, . . . . . 149 

CHAPTER XVII. 

THE GARDEN. 

Gardening neglected by the majority — The cause — The pleasures and benefits of the 
pursuit — How and why it grows in the love of its votaries — Ignorance and inex- 



Xll CONTENTS. 

perience need not prevent a beginning — Many set out too largely — Only the best 
plants should be cultivated — Hints preliminary and precautionary — Obligations to 
Mr. Mead — Preparation of the soil — Trenching — Making paths — Geometric design 
for flower-bed — Directions for planting it — Another design — Fruit and vegetable 
garden, how to be laid out and planted — Grapes, how to be planted, trained, and 
pruned — The planting and pruning of fruit trees — Currants— Gooseberries — 
Raspberries — Asparagus — Strawberries — Ornamental shrubs and vines — Bird- 
houses — Lists of pears, apples, plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, 
quince, gooseberries, blackberries, currants, raspberries — Deciduous and evergreen 
shrubs — Herbaceous plants — Climbers — Climbing roses — Hardy perpetual 
roses, ......... 172 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE HOUSE CONSIDERED IN ITS INFLUENCE ON THE OCCUPANTS. 

1 HE countless varieties of ani- 
mal existence are hardly more 
p- distinct in size, form, and color, 
than in the character of their 
respective habitations. From the 
^natural cave where the wolf hides, 
to the artistic house of the heaver ; — 
from the caterpillar's tangled home, to 
the waxen and paper cells of the bee 
and wasp ; — from the eagle's rude 
aerie on the bare cliff, to the pendent 
and symmetric shelter of the oriole — 'the range is wide indeed. 
And yet, through all these gradations, an unerring instinct 
prompts each species to find, or to construct, such an abode for 
themselves, or such a nursery for their young, as their peculiar 
natures and habits demand. But the operations of instinct, 
though perfect, are necessarily limited and unchanging. Of 
1 




V VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

progress they know nothing. The first humming-bird of Eden 
cradled and fed her offspring in a nest, which differed probably 
in no particular from thousands that might be seen to-day in 
the groves of Cuba or Cashmere. 

With man the case is far different. His wants and capa- 
bilities are so much more numerous, and complex, and various, 
than those of the brute creation ; his powers of thought and 
action are so incomparably superior, that we might expect to 
find some of the most striking proofs of his higher nature in the 
structures which he rears for himself. And such is the fact. 
The degree in which he has been raised by civilization and re- 
finement above the unreasoning animal, is shown in nothing 
more clearly than in the character of his dwelling. We are 
not surprised when we find the poor savage of the North, bur- 
rowing in an underground cabin, compared with which the 
homes of the mole and marmot shine as models of neatness and 
comfort. But we may well wonder when we see families, among 
people calling themselves civilized and Christian, content to 
dwell in hovels hardly good enough for swine. Can we doubt, 
when we behold such cases, that the dwellings of men often 
exert a powerful influence on their habits and character? 
Certainly, no race, or community, or family, or individual, 
while dwelling contentedly in filth and discomfort, can be 
called respectable, or deemed happy. 

Kegarded in this light, human dwellings acquire new con- 
sequence. They become an important moral influence ; one 
of the means by which men are to be transferred from the 
government of Sense and Passion, to that of Keason and the 
Affections. Their improvement takes rank, at once, among 
the moral reforms, and is prompted by motives higher than 



THE HOUSE IN ITS INFLUENCE. 6 

mere comfort, or fashion, or pecuniary advantage. The point 
is an important one, and deserves a moment's attention. 

The relations which men bear to one another are among the 
most efficient of the influences that mould their character. 
Society is a network of closely interwoven interests, wants, and 
dependencies. From these come, not only our various occupa- 
tions and means of living, hut nearly all our tastes and sympa- 
thies, and many of our richest enjoyments. Common sense and 
all experience tell us that man was not made to live in the 
hermit's cave, or in the cynic's tub. The most successful 
seeker of happiness is not he who has reduced his wants to the 
smallest possible number. The Being who made us with capa- 
cities for enjoyment, so numerous and varied, could never have 
meant that the greater part of them should rust unused. We 
may be all the happier by having many wants, provided they 
are not improper in their kind, not imperious in their demands, 
and not beyond our ability to gratify them. 

The pattern, the foundation, the beginning of all society, is 
the Family. In this institution, to which, more than to gov- 
ernments or to great men, the progress of humanity may be 
traced, centre those ties which connect the individual with the 
community at large. Here we first learn that we are mutually 
dependent and reciprocally responsible. This connection, which 
begins and ends only with life, and which holds its members by 
bonds so strong and yet so delicate, must powerfully affect, for 
good or ill, all who are within its influence. Hence the impor- 
tance of those means and instruments by which its power is 
modified. Prominent among these stands the home; an idea 
so blended with all the affections and associations of the 
family, that the terms are almost convertible. 



4 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

Every enlightened plan for the advancement of family influ- 
ences and of society in general, will include among its earliest 
efforts the improvement of dwellings ; and this, not only in re- 
spect of physical comfort, but of that aid which they can be 
made to render in the suggestion of salutary associations and 
the formation of desirable habits. When Architecture contri- 
butes to such an object, she may justly claim the highest praise. 
Splendid monuments, temples, and palaces do, indeed, exhibit 
the wonders of invention and tasteful skill. They proclaim the 
wealth, and gratify the pride, of individuals and of nations. 
They may act as a beneficial stimulus to the public taste. But 
he who improves the dwelling-houses of a people in relation to 
their comforts, habits, and morals, makes a benignant and last- 
ing reform at the very foundation of society. 

That the dwelling should most effectually contribute to 
such a purpose, its location and its arrangements should be, as 
far as possible, adapted to the condition, employment, habits, 
and character of the family. And not only are the adult mem- 
bers to be thought of. The interests of the young should 
especially be consulted. By all means let the abodes of infancy 
and youth be made commodious and attractive. These, how- 
ever humble, may teach lessons of neatness and order ; they 
may and should inspire a regard for comfort and decorum. 
While the mind and heart are fresh and tender, let the love of 
parents and kindred be combined with that of place ; the love, 
to wit, of one's own house and fireside, of garden, tree, and 
prospect. Thus may you contribute toward rendering the 
homes of the people not only nurseries of filial and fraternal 
affection, but the earliest and best schools of obedience and 
duty, of patriotism and piety. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE VALUE OF A PERMANENT HOME. 

E have endeavored to show that 
an • important purpose ought to 
dictate and control all the arrange- 
ments of a home. But such a 
purpose can be fulfilled only where 
the dwelling is permanent. With 
the habitation which we feel to be 
but temporary, — our continued oc- 
ff cupancy of which depends, perhaps, 
on another's will, unadapted to the 
peculiar wants of the family, and 
unendeared by the associations of long familiarity, it is hardly 
possible to connect ideas of domestic comfort, and quiet, and 
repose. For the full attainment of these benefits, and of those 
higher ones to which we have alluded, the dwelling should be 
owned by its occupants. This practice is so general, except in 
large cities, and has in itself so much to commend it, that it 
may seem to some almost needless to urge its importance here. 
Among our rural population, and in the smaller towns, almost 
every man owns the house in which he lives. In cities, the 
case generally is far otherwise. There, living in miserable 




O VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

hired tenements, we find the men of small means, the artisans 
and laborers, — almost the whole of that large and important 
class who depend on daily toil for their daily support, and who 
certainly most need the comforts and influences of a permanent 
and pleasant home. That so many of these seem contented 
with their lot, and make no effort to exchange lodgings, so un- 
comfortable and so unfit, for suitable dwellings of their own, is 
a strange fact, and (making all allowance for the difficulties 
and apparent hopelessness of their condition) can be accounted 
for only by the paralyzing influence which such abodes exert 
upon their occupants. 

As it is this class, particularly, which we hope to reach and 
to benefit, it seems proper to dwell for a moment on the nature 
and evils of tenant-life as it prevails in our large towns. 

Of all the abodes rented by Avarice to Necessity, the lowest 
and worst are the sunken basements, the inhabited cellars, 
which are so numerous in our great cities. In these dark, 
damp, unventilated caverns, fevers, consumption, and rheuma- 
tism reign unchecked. Here, thousands are born only to die. 
Compared with many of these, the Irish squatter's extempore 
shanty on the outskirts, is a palace of health and luxury. 
Surely, Humanity and Law ought long since to have combined 
(as they did in Liverpool), in shutting up for ever these under- 
ground dens of disease and death. 

More frequently the class of persons especially in view, are 
found occupying apartments in buildings erected for the pur- 
pose, or converted to it from other uses. The ground on which 
they stand was chosen, probably, because it was cheap ; and it 
was cheap, perhaps, because its air was unwholesome — darkened 
by the smoke of a gas factory, or made intolerable with the 



THE VALUE OF A PERMANENT HOME. 7 

stench, of some slaughter-house, or distillery. In devising such 
structures, it would seem as if the owner had but one idea — 
namely, that of getting the highest possible rent for the least 
possible accommodation. Accordingly, the rooms are small, 
badly lighted, unventilated, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. 
The stairs are narrow, steep, and dangerous. The entrance, 
halls, and other parts used by the tenants in common, are too 
often insufficient in space and ill-arranged. It is easy to see 
what are the natural tendencies and almost inevitable conse- 
quences of living in such a place. What is everybody's business 
is nobody's. The portions used in common are neglected, and 
become filthy. Bad habits soon prove themselves progressive 
and contagious. Even the neat housewife, when surrounded 
constantly by dirt and disorder which she cannot remove nor 
control, gradually loses her ambition and sinks to the surround- 
ing level. In such close proximity to neighbors, there can be 
no feeling of privacy, no security from intrusion. The bounds 
which should shut in and preserve the family are overrun and 
obliterated. No selection of companions can be made for 
children, however unfit and demoralizing the associations to 
which they are condemned. Parental restraint soon loses its 
hold, and frequent quarrels among both parents and children, 
result from an intercourse so compulsory yet so intimate. The 
latter, growing up amid such scenes, can never know the 
attractions of home. The former lose, ere long, their domestic 
tastes and feelings. Debarred from exercising those finer sym- 
pathies and affections which mark a well-ordered family, the 
whole household soon learn to find their pleasures in low and 
rude excitements, if they do not fall, as is but too likely, into 
intemperance and open vice. 



8 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

It is true, indeed, that there are in all our cities many- 
leased tenements which are not obnoxious to the above objec- 
tions ; — houses, single, or in blocks, where more or less of 
isolation and privacy, and family comfort may be had. In 
reference to these, however, and to all other hired habitations, 
there is another important point to be considered — namely, 
that of expense. Ask the great army of tenants of every grade, 
what item in their expenditure seems heaviest and is met with 
the greatest reluctance, and most will say, " the rent." And 
yet it is not they who pay the largest sums that have the most 
reason to complain. The man who hires a whole house can 
generally suit himself, and usually obtains an abode by paying 
the average rates. With the poor it is not 50. In this matter, 
emphatically, their destruction is their poverty. It is a well- 
known fact , that no houses yield so high a profit to the landlord 
as those which he rents to persons who can least afford to pay. 
Against such exactions, so long as this class continue to hire 
their habitations, there is no help. It is the penalty imposed 
upon them for their inability or their unwillingness to be their 
own tenants. It would be well for such persons to enter into a 
little calculation. It is not difficult to prove that what they 
now pay for poor lodgings, would soon procure for them a 
decent house of their own, and give their families the precious 
boon of a permanent home. And what a comfort, to fear no 
more the quarterly or monthly returns of rent-day, and to be 
for ever freed from the cost and damage of compulsory and fre- 
quent removals ! If well selected, the little property will be 
likely to rise in value, and can hardly fail to constitute the 
beginning and the nucleus of other acquisitions. 

While he is a tenant, the man must take such a house or 



THE VALUE OF A PERMANENT HOME. 9 

room as lie can get, not such as he needs. As purchaser, or 
builder, he may adapt his dwelling to the wants and circum- 
stances of his family. As a tenant, he suffered a thousand 
inconveniences and mortifications rather than to make improve- 
ments on another man's property. Now he can have his habi- 
tation repaired, painted, and kept in good condition, without 
asking consent of a niggardly landlord. 

If the benefits of such a home ended here, how fully would 
its acquirement justify many sacrifices, and the most strenuous 
efforts. It is the moral influence likely to flow from such a 
change that suggests the highest motives for attempting it. 
To have a home which he has himself reared, or purchased, — a 
home which he has improved, or beautified, — a home, indeed, 
which, with honest pride and natural love, he calls his oivn, is 
an additional security for any man's virtue. Such a home he 
leaves with regret ; to it he gladly returns. There he finds 
innocent and satisfying pleasures. There his wife and little 
ones are happy and safe, — and there all his best affections take 
root and grow. To such a pair, as time advances, this abode 
of their early and their middle life, this hive where their off- 
spring once swarmed, and whence they have perhaps all 
departed, becomes constantly more dear ; for it is now a scene 
of precious memories, — the undisturbed shelter of their declining 
years. And say — what lapse of time, what travelled distance, 
what varied experience of prosperity or sorrow, can ever efface 
the good impression made by such a home on the tender heart 
of childhood ? To the tempted youth, to the wanderer from 
virtue, to the sad victim of misfortune, such a remembrance 
has often proved a strengthening monitor, or a healing balm. 
Nor can this kindly influence wholly fail, so long as the dear 



10 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

objects of that familiar scene retain a place in memory, con- 
nected as they inseparably are, with thoughts of a father's 
counsels, a mother's tenderness, a sister's purity, and a brother's 
love. 



CHAPTER III. 



HOME IN THE COUNTRY 




UT it may be said, that 
this talk about possession 
^and permanency is all very 
well for snch as have the 
means to buy or to build, but is 
only a tantalizing mockery to those who 
with difficulty raise even the monthly 
payments for their landlords. We do 
not, however, admit the impeachment. 
We would be the last to excite expecta- 
tions which cannot be realized. We will endeavor to show that 
our views and objects are not only practical bat practicable. 
We address, especially, those who experience and feel the evils 
of hired abodes in populous places. We assure them that their 
case is not hopeless ; but we do not say that the desired change 
can be effected without effort, or without some sacrifice. Few 
things in life worth having can be got except by resolution, 
industry, and self-denial. Listen, then, while we try to con- 
vince you that the object recommended is an attainable one, 
and that its benefits will repay all their cost and a great deal 



more. 



12 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

First, then, we do not counsel you to buy or to build within 
city bounds. Not but that possession, even here, is far better 
than tenancy at will. It is enough now to say that the high 
value of city lots, their limitations in regard to the style of 
building and its material, and the rates of taxation, put such 
ownership out of the question for most of you. Happily the day 
is forever gone, when the necessity of being near their place of 
labor or business, compelled all the work-people and tradesmen 
of a city to live within it. Steamboats and railroads, convey- 
ances both rapid and cheap, have brought the once distant hills 
and fields and groves, as it were, to our very doors. The ines- 
timable privilege of a country home can no longer be monopo- 
lized by the wealthy citizen. We wish to show that it may 
be, and should be yours. 

It is well known that at the distance of a few miles, and of 
less than one hour from the heart of every great town, building 
ground may be obtained at prices which bring it within the 
reach of all but the poorest. The organization of village associa- 
tions has made it practicable for a man with little capital or 
credit, to secure a homestead in a. good neighborhood. This is 
accomplished by means of small but regular payments. Each 
instalment reduces the principal, and soon the purchaser is an 
owner in fee simple. Do you not see how easy the change is ? 
That the money which you are now paying in quarterly rent 
for an unhealthy and uncomfortable tenement, will suffice, in 
two or three years, to give you a good house and garden in the 
country ? This is not fancy but fact, as figures prove — a blessed 
fact, if you will but test it. 

It is true that you and your family will be called to relin- 
quish some associations and friendships, some privileges, (at 



HOME IN THE COUNTRY. 13 

first,) of church and school, some amusements, perhaps, that 
you have learned to relish in city life. But mark what com- 
pensation ! You gain a home — that which you never truly had 
nor can have in the hired city lodging. A home ! We 
might leave it there, for the word comprehends all that is most 
to he prized in life. Instead of a house, built only to he let, 
and to yield profits to its owner, you have, or should have, one 
made for your own accommodation and suited to the condition 
and uses of your family ; a house which the pleasure and pride 
of possession will prompt you constantly to improve and adorn ; 
a house not squeezed in between others, not dimly lighted in 
front and rear, not looking out upon pavements and brick walls, 
but standing by itself, surrounded and, (when you so choose,) 
permeated by the free, pure air, with a grass-plot on which 
your children can play, with flowers and shrubs, and shade-trees 
and fruit-trees of your own planting, and berries and vegetables 
of your own raising. What suitable and comfortable abodes 
can be thus secured at a very moderate outlay will hereafter be 
shown, with details and estimates of actual cost. 

It is clear that in such a residence the expense of living- 
may be sensibly diminished, while its actual comforts will be 
largely increased. Such a family should produce, in part, at 
least, their own vegetables, poultry, eggs, and pork. In very 
i many cases, a cow might be added, and this single advantage 
would more than pay if the trouble of living out of the city 
were ten times what it is. Think of the difference between re- 
galing your little ones on pure, nutritious milk, and poisoning 
them with a compound made from the vile leavings of the dis- 
tillery ! Nor is it only in the supplies of the table, that the 
country life would prove less expensive. In matters of dress, 



14 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

furniture, &c., the tyrant fashion which lords it over all classes, 
would he somewhat less exacting there. 

Add now what would he gained in point of health. The 
amount of disease and mortality among city children is ab- 
solutely appalling. Even in our healthiest summers, the 
deaths during the hot months are often doubled, and the new 
victims are drawn almost entirely from the ranks of childhood. 
Can it he doubted that a large part of these might be saved, if 
sent to the country and cared for there ? Fond parents, carry 
thither your own, and see how soon their sallow cheeks will 
glow with ruddy health, and their soft emaciated muscles round 
into firmness and strength and beauty. 

But rural life can claim other and still higher praise. Its 
moral influences are as much better than those of the city, as 
its air is more salubrious, Experience seems to say that in the 
country, only, can men be reared. From it the leech-like city 
receives ever new recruits, while itself produces almost none. To 
the country we must look as the proper home and nursery of chil- 
dren. Here they are away from the dangers and temptations, 
the unnatural excitements and morbid stimulants, the thousand 
baits and haunts of vice, with which the city abounds- Here 
parental authority is less counteracted, family discipline is more 
easily maintained, and the virtues, affections, and benefits of 
home are more frequently and more effectually secured. 

On this agreeable theme, the peculiar and beneficial influ- 
ences of rural life, it would be easy and pleasant to expatiate. 
One or two additional hints must suffice. 

So far as material objects exert an influence on the mind 
and heart, the advantage is almost wholly in favor of the coun- 
try. In the city, every thing is subject to change. Few, com- 



HOME IN THE COUNTRY. 15 

paratively, own their homes, and even they can seldom connect 
them with the thought of permanence. There is little within 
them, there is nothing at all around them, about which memory 
and affection contrive to twine their invisible, but indestructible 
threads, For the dweller in town, Nature can hardly be said 
to have an existence. True, the blue heaven bends over his 
head, but he seldom sees it except in streaks and patches. He 
must climb high if he would behold the magnificence of its 
fretted vault, and look upon the sun as he rises or goes down 
in kingly state. In the country alone can earth and sky be 
seen in all their beauty and grandeur. Its favored dwellers 
may not always or fully appreciate these qualities, but they do 
not therefore escape their influence. The rugged mountain and 
the gentle eminence, the lake, the river, and the brook, the 
forest and the grove, the broad plain and the little green dell, 
must make deep and lasting marks on the minds of those who 
daily behold them, and especially of those who grow up among 
them. It is eminently amid such scenes, as history and ob- 
servation show, that the hardy and homebred virtues thrive, 
and that patriotism is born and nurtured. 

In the country the abodes and occupations of men are more 
widely separated than in dense communities, so that their life 
and labors are more often solitary and silent. Such a condition 
is evidently conducive to thoughtful habits. Among such men 
we look for frequent instances of marked individuality in char- 
acter. They are not all moulded into one form by the surround- 
ing pressure. Their sharp corners are not worn off by attrition 
with the crowd. Not moving in masses, they have opinions 
and feelings and perhaps prejudices of their own. There may 
be some evils in this, but there are advantages also. They may 



16 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

seem less courteous, but are they not more sincere ? Among 
them we look for plain good sense and sturdy independence. 
Above all, their moral and religious convictions are of a higher 
tone, and are obeyed with a strength and tenacity of purpose, 
which we seldom find in any class of city population. 

This trait of individuality suggests not only a plea for 
country life, but an important consideration for the architect. 
Let him remember and consult it when planning for rural 
homes. Let them be in some sense emblematical of their 
self-relying occupants, suited to their condition, and not out of 
harmony with their taste and character. 

To men familiar with city noise and activity, the quiet 
country often seems sluggish and monotonous. Unhappy they 
who have become unable to appreciate the power and beauty 
of repose ! Be assured that in these calm scenes may be 
found a peace and joy unknown to the restless town. In the 
culture of domestic affections ; in training your children to 
habits of industry, learning, and goodness ; in reading and re- 
flection ; in the pleasant toils of the garden ; in social inter- 
course with your neighbors, and in good offices to all who need 
them, — you will find healthful and delightful occupation for 
every hour which you are permitted to pass at home. 

This is not an imaginary picture. The experiment has 
been tried by thousands, who are now enjoying its fruits ; by 
men, women, and children, who once wilted and pined amid 
stones and bricks in the close city air, but who now luxuriate 
among trees and grass and flowers, and feasting upon their own 
unbought dainties, are happier than kings. 



CHAPTEE IV 



THE VILLAGE. 




S yet we have treated of 
rural residence in a gene- 
ral way. We propose now 
to consider one particular 
form of it ; to wit, the 
village. By this term we 
understand any assemblage of houses 
in the country, not large enough to 
be called a town. As viewed with 
reference to their origin and charac- 
teristics, American villages may be divided into three classes. 
Of these, by far the most numerous are those which have 
grown up gradually, and naturally, round certain central nuclei. 
A court-house, a meeting-house, a head of river navigation, a 
waterfall, a landing, or a railroad terminus, are among the 
seminal points from which such villages spring. In the second 
class we place those which have been created by manufacturing 
enterprise. Thirdly, we have the suburban village, a compara- 
tively recent invention to relieve the hard-working and severely 
pressed population of our cities. As appropriate to our general 
object, and with the hope of calling attention to a matter that 
2 



18 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

has been too much neglected, we offer a few remarks and sug- 
gestions on the laying out and building of villages. 

In villages of the class first named, we find, as we might 
expect, great variety. They have grown up, not according to 
any original purpose or plan, but as the increase of business 
and population demanded. Their appearance is modified not 
only by the character and occupations of the inhabitants, but 
by the nature of the site, and the original laying out of roads 
and lots. If the ground be uneven and the streets irregular, 
the village must exhibit similar traits. Nor is this want of 
uniformity and exactness, in itself, objectionable. Many old vil- 
lages, with their short, and winding, and often narrow streets, 
have a picturesqueness and ever-pleasing variety, which we are 
sorry to miss in those that have been laid out by rule. 

When places of this class are in their incipient state, a few 
influential persons may often do much toward giving a right 
direction to their future growth. The main thoroughfares will, 
of course, be first built upon. We cannot bring ourselves to 
feel that such avenues should all run in straight lines, and 
cross at right angles. This is supposed to be the unfortunate 
necessity of cities, where every square inch is measured and 
has its value. In the country, where there is room enough and 
to spare, there is no need of this mathematical economy. Here 
the natural way is generally the best way. The character of 
the surface, making it easy to run a street in one direction, and 
not so in another, may very properly determine its location. 
Sometimes this will depend on the eligibility of building sites, 
or on the accidents of water, of hill and plain, of marsh and 
ravine. Such requirements will not be wholly disregarded if 
taste and judgment have a voice in the matter. Nature must 



THE VILLAGE. 19 

be humored and not forced, if we would retain her power to 
please. 

As such villages increase, the districts appropriated to 
dwelling-houses should receive particular care. The first 
object should be to make the building lots ample, convenient, 
and pleasant, and then let the street conform. This principle 
is to be observed with proper modifications, but its importance 
will be conceded by many who have witnessed the ill effects of 
a course directly the reverse. The reservation for public use 
and enjoyment of some open space in every village, cannot be 
too strongly urged. The triangular points formed by roads 
that converge at acute angles, may well be made open ground, 
instead of being covered with unsightly wedges of wood or 
brick. Looks and comfort will be promoted by placing the 
church and the school-house at some little distance from the 
noisy and dusty street. 

In those hamlets, usually of slow formation, which grow up 
in agricultural towns, many of the villagers — sometimes the 
larger part — are, more or less, engaged in farming operations. 
This fact naturally influences (as it ought to influence), the 
style of building and the general aspect of the place. The new 
houses, though designed in some respects for different uses, 
ought not to be wholly out of harmony with the old — nor is 
there any reason why men should be in haste to get rid of the 
early old-fashioned farm-house, which, however little it may boast 
of artistic grace, is yet pleasantly suggestive of rustic plenty and 
comfort, of manly independence, and of the home-born virtues. 
From a disregard of such considerations, some of our inland 
villages are disfigured by the most absurd and incongruous 
architecture. 



20 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

Without further detail, where much might be said, we pass 
to the manufacturing village. This is usually the creation of a 
proprietor, or of a corporation. Simultaneously with the erec- 
tion of a mill, tenements are put up near it for the accommo- 
dation of its operatives. "When the establishment is large, a 
little town is thus built, as it were, in a day. Such opportuni- 
ties seem peculiarly favorable for introducing good specimens 
and models of village and cottage architecture. It is not often, 
however, that we are able to praise them, either for the taste 
which they evince or the practical wisdom. Frequently these 
tenements are long, uniform blocks, built like rows of small city 
houses, and with equal frugality of space. Far too often they 
occupy unsheltered and unpleasant sites, without the slightest 
air of comfort or neatness, much less of beauty. We might 
urge upon the philanthropic proprietor his unquestionable obliga- 
tion to make the abodes of his work people comfortable and 
agreeable. On him who would be considered not devoid of 
taste, we might press the duty of gratifying, or certainly of not 
offending the public eye. But there is another appeal which 
all understand. The pecuniary interest of the proprietor is 
promoted when he furnishes pleasant homes to those who are in 
his employ. If the original cost should be somewhat greater, 
it will be far more than repaid in the long run. It secures in 
the first place a more intelligent and respectable class of opera- 
tives, — people who have been accustomed to the comfort and 
independence of a home, and who will not go where they can 
have neither the reality nor the semblance. Such habitations 
do much towards substituting a permanent for a shifting popu- 
lation. Other and stronger ties are formed than those which 
depend on mere wages. The pleasant rooms, with their asso- 



THE VILLAGE. 21 

ciations of domestic and social enjoyment ; the little garden 
with its fruits ; the small green yard, with tree, shrub, vine, 
and flower, which the occupants have planted, tended, and 
learned to love, are so many pledges of fidelity to their em- 
ployer. Such homes will not be lightly abandoned with the 
first fancied or real difficulty that may occur. 

It will at once be seen that these remarks do not apply to 
long blocks of houses. In some respects single tenements, with 
more or less of open space around them, would undoubtedly 
best favor the ends suggested. Nearly the same results may 
however be obtained by having two habitations under one roof. 
The economy of this arrangement, both in building the house 
and in keeping it warm, will generally give it the preference. 
Each tenement may thus have its own yard, garden, and sur- 
roundings. In another part of this work will be found some 
simple designs for these double houses. 

For similar reasons the judicious proprietor will be careful 
in fixing on the site for his tenements. The nearness of a spot 
to the mill, its cheapness or want of fitness for other purposes, 
will not be deemed sufficient reasons for putting human dwell- 
ings on it. So far as may be practicable, let considerations of 
salubrity and pleasantness, of soil, and sun, and air, of shelter 
and of prospect, have their due share in the selection. 

It is almost needless to add that the desired work would be 
only half accomplished, unless the same regard for neatness, 
order, and comfort, shall also be exhibited in the mills and 
their appointments, in the canals and bridges, the walks and 
grounds. 

The third class we have called the suburban village. Like 
that just treated of it is a sudden creation, the result of im- 



22 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

perative necessity. Such villages are springing up in the 
neighborhood of our great cities, and already furnish comforta- 
ble homes to a large population. Their desirableness and 
utility are unquestionable. But the selection of their sites and 
the style of laying out and building, ought not to be left to 
chance, to ignorance, or to the selfishness of speculation. 
There is no necessity, as yet, for planting these little towns on 
impracticable ledges of rock, nor in or around swamps. Salu- 
brity of air, abundance and purity of water, pleasantness of 
location and prospect, eligibility for building and quality of 
soil, are points that should be considered, as well as distance 
from the city, and proximity to the track of car or steamboat. 

Hitherto the perception and supply of a great and growing 
want has been left mostly to landowners and speculators, whose 
enterprises in this line could hardly be expected to look very 
far beyond the results of "a good operation." What this 
means we all know. But the object is one which may well 
enlist a higher motive. What more promising field can be 
presented to the benevolent man of wealth, who recognizes the 
obligations of his stewardship, and wishes that all his invest- 
ments should benefit others as well as himself ? 

Attention has recently been given, especially in England, 
to the erection, in cities, of cheap and comfortable houses for 
the poorer classes. These are rented at low rates under rea- 
sonable and wholesome restrictions in relation to neatness and 
good conduct. Both in a pecuniary and a moral sense these 
noble efforts have proved successful. Place those who have 
been familiar with dirt and wretchedness, where they can be 
neat, and quiet, and comfortable, — where the lesson of order is 
taught by example rather than precept, — where its benefits 



THE VILLAGE. 23 

are constantly seen and the preservation or loss depends upon 
their own conduct, — and you bring them under the best if not 
the only culture of which they are susceptible. By thus accus- 
toming them to respect and help themselves, you prompt the 
aspiration for better things and make the attainment possible. 

All this and more, as we have heretofore urged, applies to 
the substitution of rural homes for crowded and wretched city 
abodes. To render practicable such a change, by procuring 
suitable ground for a city village, by laying it out and pro- 
viding for its growth, regulation, and future prosperity, on ra- 
tional, economic, aesthetic, and Christian principles, seems to 
us one of the most feasible and one of the noblest enterprises in 
which the philanthropic capitalist can engage. Every dollar 
thus invested would bring to him not only a satisfactory per- 
centage of interest, but what he would prize infinitely more, 
rich visible fruits of neatness and thrift, of happiness and virtue. 
He becomes the founder of a community, beholds with his own 
eyes the good he has done, and leaves behind him, when he 
dies, an imperishable monument.* 

One thing we may take for granted. Villages of this class 
will continue to be needed, and through one agency or another 

* The attention of the whole country has just heen called, (September, 1855,) to 
a much needed reform, by the announcement of a testamentary bequest, appropriating 
$50,000, for the erection of model lodging houses for the poorer classes. Should Mr. 
Lawrence's intentions be judiciously executed, they will prove the beginning of a great 
movement, for they will show that houses may thus be built, which shall prove alike 
advantageous to owner and tenant. We regard this, therefore, as the crowning act of a 
useful and honored life. For while thousands of the sons of science will laud the 
founder of the school at Cambridge, tens of thousands of laboring men will bless the 
name of the sagacious philanthropist, who inaugurated a new auspicious era for them 
and their children. 



24 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

the want will be met. No man should venture to give impulse 
to such a movement without some sense of the responsibility 
which he thereby incurs. Let him not forget that the health, 
happiness, 'and character of thousands may be influenced for 
better, or for worse, by his action in a matter of this kind. The 
selection of the ground and the first direction of the enterprise 
rest with those who project it, and accordingly as these are 
good or bad, future generations will bless or curse the founder. 

In so important an affair as the establishment of a village, 
the advice of the landscape-gardener and the architect, and 
sometimes also that of the civil engineer, may greatly conduce 
to a judicious choice of the site, and to its proper arrangement. 
And, as sanitary considerations should have paramount weight, 
let medical science, after due inquiry and observation, pronounce 
on the salubrity of the spot. When such precautions shall be 
used in the designation of the ground, — when a wise and taste- 
ful care shall be manifest in the laying out of its lots and 
streets, in the style and character of the houses and in the 
planting of trees, the suburban village will assume a new 
aspect. Then to the eye of the passing traveller it will present 
a pleasing, instead of a repulsive picture, while its chief recom- 
mendation will be that it offers to those who most need a 
home, one that is healthful and inviting as well as moderate in 
cost. 

We have already expressed our conviction that rural villages 
need not and ought not to be laid out with the checker-board 
exactness which is supposed to be necessary in cities. We say 
" supposed " — for some good reasons might be given against it 
even in these. On the score both of looks and cost it should cer- 
tainly be avoided in the country. By letting the streets follow, in 



THE VILLAGE. 25 

the main the natural grade, there will be a saving of trouble and 
expense. The lots upon them will not be spoiled by cuts and 
embankments. Kicling and walking will be facilitated and 
made more agreeable by the preservation of levels or of easy- 
climbing graceful curves. It is far more important that the 
house which is to be your home and that of your family, should 
be pleasant in its position and surroundings, than that it should 
be placed at the shortest possible distance from the railroad 
station, — a distance that will usually be travelled but twice a 
day. This consideration, duly weighed, will certainly have some 
influence in deciding how village streets and lanes shall run. 
From these brief hints on a subject temptingly inviting, we pass 
to another topic. 

The tendency to imitation is perhaps seen in nothing more 
than in the houses which men build. In all time and every 
where, this has been more or less the case, but the trait seems 
to be especially conspicuous in the American mind. The evidence 
of this is not far to seek. We should have less reason to com- 
plain if the disposition to copy would confine itself to forms of 
real excellence and unquestionable beauty. We can only say 
" less reason/' for we should still have some. Sameness, even in 
beauty, soon tires us. Let the productions of art be 

" Various, 
That the mind of desultory man, 
Stndions of change and pleased with novelty, 
May be indulged." 

If she must imitate, let her model be Nature, whose infinite 
variety " age cannot wither nor custom stale." 

Unfortunately the copying tendencies to which we now refer 



26 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

usually run in a very different direction from that of fitness, or 
of grace. We need not mention instances. To every observant 
person they are perfectly familiar. Often some peculiarity of 
material, or form, or ornament, or color, introduced by one am- 
bitious man, sets the fashion for a whole street, or even town. 
The more uncouth or fantastic or incongruous such features are, 
the more likely are they to reappear with every new structure 
that is reared. Surely such mimicry as this is specially un- 
worthy of a people who profess entire freedom and independence 
of thought and action. 

But our subject calls us to notice more in detail certain 
kinds of imitation to which those who build village houses seem 
to be prone. 

The common farm-house sometimes furnishes the model. 
We have shown that there are situations where, .under proper 
modifications, this does very well. But there needs no argument 
to show the folly of building farm-houses in villages which have 
nothing to do with farming. 

Sometimes the house of the farm laborer, or the gardener's, 
or the porter's lodge, as these are given in English works on 
cottage architecture, seem to have suggested the design. In the 
books referred to, these are almost the only specimens given. 
They meet, probably, the wants of that country, but certainly 
not those of ours. There, a hovel answers for the laboring man, 
provided that it seldom forces itself on the notice of his rich em- 
ployer. But if the poor fellow's constant presence is required at 
the entrance to the grounds, or in any conspicuous spot upon 
them, his house must be something pretty to look at. If not 
picturesque, it will offend the fastidious eye of the master and 
of his visitors. The accommodation of the humble tenant is but 



THE VILLAGE. 27 

a secondary matter. The state of things among us, as yet, is 
fortunately, very different. Our working men generally own the 
soil. They own their houses. They are independent. They can, 
if they choose, live in comfortable abodes, and for the most part, 
they do choose it. The cottage architecture of England was 
never intended for them, and in putting up their dwellings, 
they can certainly do far better for themselves and their families, 
than to copy either the mean or the fanciful structures which the 
wealthy and proud proprietors of that aristocratic isle furnish to 
their poor dependents. 

To the villager of ampler means, or at least of higher am- 
bition, some neighboring country-seat is apt to hold out its 
temptations. Architecture and gardening have lavished their 
graces upon and around it. He is delighted with its looks, 
and can see no reason why he may not have a villa too, on a 
smaller scale. When he does this, he certainly forgets the dif- 
ference between his own circumstances and necessities, on the one 
hand, and those of his wealthy neighbor on the other. The 
villa has been built with more reference, probably, to taste than 
to expense. It may be intended mainly for a summer residence. 
The indulgence of a large hospitality or some other special pur- 
pose may have modified its design ; it may or may not be just 
what its owner wants ; it is hardly possible that it can suit 
one whose condition is entirely different. Besides, when copied 
on a reduced scale, it will be quite another thing, and its best 
qualities may be lost in the change. / 

More frequently however this imitation of villa architecture is 
limited to particular features and to ornamental details. If these 
are transferred without change of form or size to smaller build- 
ings, they do but overload them with superfluous finery. Nor 



28 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

will the attempt to reduce and adapt them to the new position, 
be likely to turn out better. The whole business is bad. It is 
simply apish ; a manifest attempt to do something beyond the 
builder's power. 

Still more senseless is that form of this vice which takes the 
city for its pattern. The very features in town houses which 
their occupants have adopted from necessity, and to which they 
submit as unavoidable evils, are too often copied in the country, 
with a servility which is ridiculous. The high cost of ground in 
a city compels its inhabitants to live in deep, narrow, lofty 
houses, lighted only in front and rear, with some of the rooms 
half under ground and others far up in the sky. The man who 
has had experience in these matters, who knows the comfort of 
basement dining-rooms and basement kitchens, and of deep, 
dark parlors and chambers, and who has enjoyed the privilege of 
frequent climbing to attic heights, would never repeat the ex- 
periment when building in the country. 

A country village, content to appear what it really is, is a 
pleasant place. It unites the charms of nature with those of 
art, and its fairest feature is consistency. But such are not all. 
There are some aspiring and silly villages as well as boys and 
girls. Certainly those are such, which, despising the rural sim- 
plicity that should be their highest pride, vainly endeavor in 
their buildings, manners, etc. to imitate the city style. Such 
an attempt must be unsuccessful. Some of its faults may be 
copied pretty nearly, but the real excellencies of city life are 
quite beyond their reach. Of such villages it may truly be 
said, that they are neither one thing nor another. 

While we alternately laugh at and pity these absurdities 
of a vain ambition, we feel only indignant when we see a village 



THE VILLAGE. 29 

similarly injured through the blindness and the promptings of 
avarice. Some man of money has bought a tract of village 
ground. It is his purpose to make the most of it. The good 
looks and welfare of the village, the interests and wishes of his 
neighbors, the health and comfort of those who are to live in 
his houses, are of little or no account with him. Taking for 
his model some mean block of city tenements, he covers the 
ground with narrow cells, and advertises to sell or rent them 
as charming rural residences. It would not break our heart to 
hear that such a man had been condemned to perpetual in- 
carceration in one of his own vile boxes. 

One or two additional considerations for those who have 
become, or who intend to become dwellers in a suburban village, 
are respectfully tendered. And first, they should remember 
that the village is and ought to be a distinct and peculiar kind 
of society. If wise, they will lay aside those notions, preju- 
dices, and habits, formed elsewhere, which are inconsistent 
with their new mode of life. Let them regard the village not 
as a little city, nor yet as a mere appendage to some larger one. 
It is, or should be, a community by itself, having its own in- 
terests, and holding its population together by mutual attach- 
ments and dependencies. In common with the more isolated 
inhabitant of the country, they can have sufficient ground for a 
dwelling, with the luxuries of a garden and an unrestricted 
supply of light and air. With the city resident they may 
enjoy many conveniences and privileges which can only attend 
combined efforts and interests. To specify a few of these. — 
Here are good sidewalks, a comfort which he who has lived in 
both country and city can well appreciate. Here he has aque- 
ducts, or at least wells in common, bringing near him and 



30 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 



cheaply, one prime necessary of life. Wherever there is a vil- 
lage, there will be shop-keepers, grocers, butchers, mechanics, 
and it will not long want physicians of all the schools. Here, 
too, are supplies for the higher wants of the heart and mind. 
The opportunities for social intercourse are multiplied. Bead- 
ing rooms and lectures are provided. Schools are maintained, 
and churches are reared and frequented. 

These are important facts. They are connected with all 
the details of daily life, and it is for the interest of the 
suburban village that they should not be disregarded in its 
architecture. 






CHAPTEE V. 



THE CHOICE OF A LOT. 




HEN the building of a house 

'& is determined on ; the first step 

to be taken is the selection of 

a site. This is so important a 

i7) matter, and has so much to do 

O) with success or failure, that it 

seems entitled to special con- 

k sideration. 

The first question for a man in 
such case to settle, is that of his 
needs, both present and prospective. This 
is not always easy. In making up his list of may ivants and 
must wants, the future householder will often be as much 
puzzled as was little Frank, in Miss Edgeworth's charming 
story. In the case of every man there will be some peculiari- 
ties of disposition or of condition which should be taken into 
the account. 

One of the first points to be examined is the relations of 
the lot to its neighborhood and to other parts of the village. 
A man doing business in the city, naturally prefers a home 
near the railroad station or steamer landing. If engaged in 



ViU.\\x\. 3C 



32 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

some manufactory, store, or workshop, which allows him but scant 
time for meals, proximity in his home is absolutely necessary. 
To all such we would say, let this consideration have its due 
weight and no more. In very many cases, a little shorter or 
longer walk is of small consequence compared with other things 
which ought to influence. 

The house which is to be a dwelling, only, may stand upon 
some retired and quiet lane. If it is to be also a place of busi- 
ness, it will demand, probably, a conspicuous location on 
some frequented street. A social family, accustomed to make 
and receive evening calls, will avoid much disappointment, in- 
convenience, and grumbling, by fixing their habitation on a 
street with good walks. Those who prefer solitude and seclu- 
sion, and who like to go to bed early, can generally be accom- 
modated on some by-way, whose rugged path will effectually 
secure them from visiting bores. For some it is very desirable 
to be near the church and the school-house, while to others 
this is a secondary consideration. 

Questions of economy are intimately connected with the 
relative position of the lot, bearing as this does, not only on 
the first cost and probable rise in value, but also on the expense 
of building and of living there. It is not every man who can 
settle for himself such points as these. To understand the 
present value of property, and the probabilities of its improve- 
ment or depression, requires much observation and sagacity. To 
those who are consciously unequal to the task, we can only say, 
consult, if you can find him, some wise and disinterested 
adviser. 

But there are some means of judging which are within the 
reach of all. Such elements of calculation are great thorough- 



THE CHOICE OF A LOT. 33 

fares, railroads and canals, landings and water-powers; and 
such, eminently, is the character of a population in regard to 
energy and public spirit. When these are exhibited, even 
within a limited range, the effect on property will soon show 
itself. Thus a single street, with no original advantage over 
others near it, is sometimes made greatly more valuable through 
the good taste and liberality of a few occupants. And to make 
such improvements, fortunately, is not the exclusive privilege 
of the wealthy and influential. Much may be done by men of 
moderate means, if there be only an eye for beauty and a 
generous heart. Humble hands have sometimes planted along 
the roadside, little elms, or maples, which in after years have 
given shade and beauty and dignity to a noble avenue, thus 
adding untold thousands to the value of its adjacent grounds. 
'Wherever such men are found, it will be safe, on speculative 
principles (and those are our present theme), to cast one's lot 
among them. 

Is the ground favorable for building on 1 This is a very 
important point. Excavation upon it may be easy or difficult. 
It may need much grading, or but little. Its position may 
either facilitate or impede the transportation of materials. To 
obtain the needed supply of water may cost little, or it may 
cost much. From ignorance or inconsiderateness in regard to 
such matters, many a man has had to spend as much upon his 
ground alone as he had set apart for the whole cost. 

Location will also influence the cost of building by modi- 
fying its style and decorations. A house that is secluded and 
seldom seen, may be simple and plain to a degree which would 
seem mean in a more conspicuous position. 

We might proceed to show in what ways the particular loca- 
3 



34 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

tion given to a house, may tend to diminish or to increase the 
expenses of the family which occupies it, but these will readily 
suggest themselves to every householder. 

In many instances, the neighborhood furnishes the con- 
trolling motive that decides where we shall build. We like to 
live near our relatives and friends, or, at least among our ac- 
quaintance. Still more desirable is it to secure proper associates 
for the young. If the village have a wealthy and fashionable 
end, there will be some who can live only there. Contiguity to 
some particular church, or school, or doctor, will have its influ- 
ence with others. The elective affinities of taste, opinion, and 
companionship, will always have more or less weight in deter- 
mining where people shall live. 

In a community where all classes are virtually equal, we 
see no reason why their dwellings should not be intermingled. 
Let each man select the site that is suited to his wants and 
taste, and let the house which he puts upon it be such as 
becomes his station and means. His nearest neighbors may 
make a greater display. What of that ? If able, they have a 
right to do so, and if not, they will only be laughed at for their 
folly. In either case, he will be all the more respected for 
having shown himself in this respect to be a man of sense. 
Education and refinement are not confined to any class, and 
certainly are not monopolized by the rich. Often the most 
attractive objects in a village are its unassuming cottages, 
pleasing us by their simple, unborrowed beauty, while more 
ambitious houses, flaunting in stolen ornaments, are noticed 
only with disgust. 

Besides these questions regarding the relative position of 
the lot, there are others, scarcely less important, connected 



THE CHOICE OF A LOT. 35 

with its character when considered by itself. The first of these 
is its healthfullness. If the air is bad from any canse not to 
come within the purchaser's control, the defect is vital, and 
should decide the matter instantly. No other qualities, how- 
ever valuable, can atone or compensate for this deadly fault. 

Next in importance to good air comes an abundant supply 
of good water. If this element can be brought in pipes from 
pure and permanent sources, the acquisition is of great value, 
and will justify the sacrifice, if necessary, of some other com- 
forts. Those who have once enjoyed that unspeakable privilege, 
an unfailing supply of pure soft water, its unrestricted luxury 
of washing and bathing, and the comfortable facility which it 
imparts to many household operations, — may well wonder at 
the indifference with which this matter is regarded by many. 
Why, there are hundreds and hundreds of villages in our 
country, in whose near vicinity are hill springs, or mountain 
tarns, from which a united effort would easily bring an inex- 
haustible supply. What folly to be digging deep wells, and 
daily to labor at clumsy sweeps and wheezing pumps, for a 
meagre quantity of hard, unwholesome, mineral water, when 
they might have the soft, pure, sparkling lymph laid on their 
houses to the very top, flowing perennially for the refreshment 
of man and beast, and cheaply delighting both eye and ear 
with the pleasant est of sights and sounds ! 

And yet how many allow the blessed element to run off and 
be lost, content to wash in water which turns soap back into 
grease, and to derange their bowels with muddy draughts from 
the river, or with solutions of salt and lime from the well. 
Many regard rain-water as wholly unfit to drink. And so it is 
when no care is taken to keep or to make it pure. Properly fil- 



36 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

tered and cooled, it is as palatable as it is wholesome. The cis- 
tern may be arranged for this purpose, or the water may be 
filtered as it is used. A knowledge and right appreciation of this 
fact make the question of wells less important, and will render 
some places eligible as building ground, which otherwise would 
be condemned. 

The lay of the land and fitness of the soil for garden pur- 
poses, and the raising of vegetables and fruits, will not be over- 
looked by those who mean to have these pleasant accompani- 
ments of country life. 

So far as the exposure of the ground may affect the tem- 
perature of the dwelling — whether it shall be high or low, shel- 
tered by hills and trees, or bare and bleak, look toward the 
sunny South, or at the frozen Bear, — is a matter of feeling, and 
will be decided one way or another as the enjoyment of summer 
or of winter is most thought of. 

In all that relates to the size, shape, and arrangement of 
the ground, much must depend on the purposes it is designed to 
answer. If poultry, or swine, or cows, or horses are to be kept 
on the place, provision should be made for them where they 
will give the least trouble and offence. If a stable be needed, 
a lot with rear entrance will make it accessible, and prevent its 
being disagreeably conspicuous. 

The extent of a building lot should often be determined less 
by the size and character of the house which is to stand on it, 
than by the probability that it will be properly adorned and pre- 
served. Some men have no taste for lawns, or flowers, or shrub- 
bery. All they want is a house to live in. They know perfectly 
well that the ground around it will receive no care from them. 
The less there is to reproach them for neglect, to offend their 



THE CHOICE OF A LOT. 37 

neighbor's eyes, and to injure by mere squalidness the sur- 
rounding property, certainly the better. 

Ample ground, when properly cared for, undoubtedly adds 
to the beauty and value of the house, and under different cir- 
cumstances it may detract from both. Without attempting to 
prescribe the proper relation between the size of houses and of 
the grounds which surround them, it may be said without much 
question, that no village lot should be less than fifty feet in 
front, by one hundred and fifty, to two hundred deep. 

In most cases, the style of the house to be erected should 
be considered in reference to its location. A low, modest-look- 
ing cottage, set in some bold conspicuous position, — a structure 
all stiff, regular, and square, standing on an uneven, oddly 
shaped lot, are examples of inconsistency and absurdity which 
almost any person may appreciate. That the house may con- 
form to its location, and the location to its house, let the same 
principle govern in the selection of the one and the designing 
of the other ; namely, a thorough adaptation of each to the 
wants, habits, and character of the future occupants. 

At the risk of seeming to transcend the legitimate scope of 
our design, we venture to add a word or two on the relations of 
buildings to surrounding scenery, and our obligations to regard 
such relations. It is an undeniable fact that a structure, neither 
unpleasing in itself, nor inconvenient for use, may yet be so 
placed — so entirely out of harmony with every thing about it — 
as actually to mar the landscape. Thus it has been said, that 
amid mountain scenery, houses and other works of art should 
be of an unassuming character ; that only a subdued look can 
become them in the midst of a vastness which it is impossible 
for them to rival, and which but proves the littleness of man, 



38 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

whenever, among such scenes, he attempts any ambitious dis- 
play. The true admirer of nature will make no such mistake. 
The majesty which is around and above him, will awe him 
into meekness, and his modest habitation, nestling among the 
cliffs, will look as if seeking their protection. The illustra- 
tion suggests and enforces a principle which should govern 
those who build in peculiar and picturesque situations. 

Again, in selecting a site on which to live, let men follow, 
in some degree, at least, their instinctive inclinations and 
natural tastes. While the modest and retiring will be best 
suited in the lowly vale, let the bold and aspiring spirit plant 
itself on the hill-top. In many parts of our diversified country, 
there is wide room for choice in these respects. Villages, in- 
deed, as already remarked, have often been spoiled, by an 
absurd endeavor to make small cities of them, by cuttings and 
embankments, levelings and straightenings. But the attempt 
is not always successful. Nature frequently proves too sturdy 
for these barbarians and, after all, a good degree of variety still 
remains. 

If he who is about to build either in the village or open 
country, have an eye for natural beauty, and especially if he 
would cultivate in his children a taste so pure, let him seek 
an expanded and pleasing prospect. Why should others en- 
joy, any more than he, delights that were meant for all ? For 
him no less than for his rich neighbor, hills soar, and river or 
lake sparkles in the distance. For him, in no unimportant 
sense, that neighbor plants the orchard, and dresses garden, field 
and meadow. From his little domain who can prevent his look- 
ing out with rapture over that fair expanse ? Who will reprove 
him, if, with a heart attuned to praise and thankfulness, he 
shall call the delightful scenery a all his own?" 



CHAPTER VI 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 



building can be constructed 
properly without a well digested 
plan. This is seldom thought 
I of by those who build small 
# houses. Some idea, indeed, 
|* every man has of the structure 
which he means to erect. He de- 
termines, perhaps, pretty nearly 
its form and size, leaving the 
details to be adopted as the work 
advances. The consequence often 
is a series of mistakes. Deficiencies, misarrangements, and in- 
congruities, make their appearance usually when it is too late 
to correct the evil. It seems like an absolute waste of money 
to spend it in alterations, which a prudent foresight would 
have made unnecessary. Yet how often is such waste incurred. 
In building, it greatly contributes to economical and satisfac- 
tory results, that the owner should have in his own mind a 
judicious and well matured plan. 

A prudent man, we say, before he begins to build a house, 
will not only count its cost, but he will get a distinct concep- 




40 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

tion of what it is to be. Its position, material, size, and form ; 
the dimensions, shape, and arrangement of the rooms ; its 
halls, stairways, closets, and all that comes under the head of 
conveniences ; its doors, windows, chimneys, and fire-places ; 
its walls, roofs, and floors ; the combination of its timbers and 
the modes of its construction, should all be decisively fixed 
and clearly understood. And this is applicable not only to 
large and expensive structures, but to those of a far humbler 
class, as we trust our work will make more fully to appear. 

To develope such a plan, so that it may be made intel- 
ligible to those who are to execute it, requires thought and 
care. Each part should be closely considered, not only by itself, 
but in connection with the rest, that every want may be anti- 
cipated, and every difficulty obviated. A design so elaborated 
will promote economy, by insuring a closer calculation of the 
expenses, and more advantageous bargains for material and 
labor. It avoids the hateful cost of alterations, and by a skil- 
ful disposal of the apartments precludes waste of stuff and 
room. It is not the least advantage of such a plan that it 
tends greatly to prevent those disagreements, quarrels, and 
lawsuits, which often spring up between the owner on one side, 
and contractors and workmen on the other. It is evident also, 
that a house thus built must be superior to one begun without 
forethought and prosecuted at random. It is hardly possible that 
proportion and symmetry, convenience, beauty, and strength 
should result from the latter course. Weakness and imperfec- 
tion are almost sure to attend the alteration which such a pro- 
cedure usually makes necessary. Take for instance, the stair- 
ways, an important feature requiring careful thought. "When 
they are not planned in the outset, it often becomes necessary 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 41 

to make them uncomfortably narrow, or dangerously steep. 
The foot obtrudes, perhaps, across doors and passages. The 
hall below and the head-room above are so contracted as to be 
almost useless, or the floors are weakened and the house in- 
jured by cuttings and alterations, which might all have been 
avoided. Compare any house, thus built, with some well 
planned dwelling, and the inferiority of the former, both in 
looks and comfort, cannot fail to appear. 

Let every man who proposes to build a house for his own 
use, consider carefully his particular wants and those of his 
family in reference to each of the points just now enumerated. 
Each family has its peculiarities of taste, habits, or condition, 
which should be thought of and provided for. No house-plan 
will be likely to meet these, unless they have been anticipated 
in its formation. 

Such a study of the wants and conditions of the house- 
hold, and of the arrangements in the dwelling which will best 
secure them, would be a profitable exercise for any man, and 
might sometimes suggest valuable improvements in the do- 
mestic economy. 

Let us now consider some of the principles which should 
govern in the adoption and development of a suitable plan. 
These are clearly to be found in the purposes and uses of the 
proposed structure. Eeasons growing out of these should de- 
termine not only the general design, but each particular feature. 
The proper inquiry in every case is, not how has this thing 
been done elsewhere, or by others, but how can we best meet 
the demands of the present case ? And this involves the very 
important idea of adaptation. In the right adjustment of the 
parts to each other, and of the whole to its main purpose and 
appropriate conditions, lies the foundation of architectural ex- 



42 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

cellence. Every building is erected for some purpose ; let that 
purpose, if possible, appear in the structure. Every building 
is meant to be used ; let its fitness for that use be manifest. 
Without this qualification it can have neither true value 
nor real beauty. 

Another quality which should pervade every design is 
truthfulness. Falsehood in words spoken and written, false- 
hood in human conduct, meets with universal reprobation. 
Why should it be more venial when perpetrated in wood, brick, 
or stone, in paint or plaster ? We do not mean to ascribe the 
same moral turpitude to the builder who attempts to deceive 
the public eye with false shows, as to the deliberate liar in 
word and action. But we do affirm that such practice is a 
species of dishonest and unworthy artifice, inconsistent with true 
Christian integrity, of unwholesome tendency, and as incom- 
patible with the simplicity of good taste as it is with that of 
sound morals. Of the ways in which these great obligations 
may be and often have been disregarded, we shall have occasion 
to treat more particularly when we come to details. 

With these leading ideas well fixed in his mind, no one, in 
designing a cottage residence, need trouble himself much about 
what are called the orders of architecture. He has some im- 
portant points to settle before he begins to talk of Greek or 
Gothic, Elizabethan or Italian. Let us consider for a moment 
what the case requires. 

" Houses," says Bacon, " are built to live in, not to look 
at." Were this truth uppermost in the thoughts of every man 
who builds a house for himself or others, our domestic architec- 
ture would be greatly modified. It would certainly be more 
comfortable. Can we doubt that it would be better looking ? 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 43 

The house which is built " to look at " is very apt to be incon- 
venient, and if so, it is just as surely ugly ; for apart from 
actual and manifest utility in a dwelling-house, there can be no 
such thing as beauty. Shelter from sun and storm, protection 
against the extremes of heat and cold, the due admission of 
light and air, suitable rooms to live and sleep in, receptacles 
for clothing, utensils, food and fuel, conveniences for cooking, 
washing, and all other labors of the household, together with an 
ample and convenient supply of good water, may be set down 
as necessary requisites of every human dwelling. These pro- 
visions may be few, small, and plain, or numerous, large, and 
elaborate, according as the wants, means, and tastes of families 
vary ; but there is not an item of the enumeration which the 
humblest habitation, that deserves to be called a house, can 
afford to spare or needs to omit. In arranging the apartments, 
special attention should be given to the saving of needless labor 
and to the promotion of neatness and order. Let the rooms 
which will be most used, be most closely and conveniently con- 
nected. Let the best, the most accessible, and most agreeable 
rooms of the house, whether below or above, be fitted and kept 
for daily family use. This has not always been done, — but does 
it not commend itself to common sense ? Let there be at least 
one room on the first floor, provided with the means of warmth 
and ventilation, which may be used as a sleeping-room for age and 
sickness. The stairs should generally be central in position ; 
they should always be safe for children, and broad and low for 
the sake of the infirm and the old. The size, form, and arrange- 
ment of halls and passages, have much to do with both looks 
and comfort ; and the same may be said of the position and 
character of the chimneys and windows. In placing the rooms 



44 VILLAGE AND FAEM COTTAGES. 

which are most to be used, regard should be had to their ex- 
posure to sun and air at different seasons. The most absurd 
mistakes are often made for the want of this forethought. We 
have seen large expensive houses, whose snug winter parlors 
looked out upon the north-star, and whose large summer draw- 
ing-rooms in the southern corner, basked all day in the sun. 
Porches, verandahs, window-canopies, etc., if judiciously dis- 
posed for use and not for show, will add much to comfort. 

But physical enjoyment should not be the only aim. In 
building, as in every thing else, the intelligent and rightly dis- 
posed man will remember and consult his higher nature, and 
will try to make his house, however unpretending, a teacher 
and promoter of virtue, by its evident regard for order, neatness, 
truth, and beauty. 

It is a common, and a very pernicious error, to suppose that 
beauty in architecture consists, mainly, if not wholly, in some- 
thing that is extraneous and superadded. There are those who 
never think of looking for this quality in mere form, in sym- 
metrical proportions, or in the fitness of things. In building, 
they settle first what they regard as the practical points of 
shape, size, etc., and then proceed to put on the beauty. The 
natural result is an excess of ill-selected and ill-placed orna- 
ment. 

Others seeing little value in mere decorations, and uncon- 
scious of the union which may and ought to subsist between 
utility and beauty, forego all considerations of taste, and rest 
satisfied with unadorned ugliness. Of the two we rather prefer 
the latter. 

"We shall not be understood as rejecting ornament. Used 
under the promptings and guidance of a refined and severe taste, 






THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 45 

it must always add largely to pleasing effect. But let it take 
and keep its own place. It is at best but a secondary considera- 
tion. Not so with the beauty of form ; of proportions, and of fit- 
ness. This is always attainable, always pleasing, and may add 
its grace to the simplest cottage, no less than to the proudest 
palace. A home in which these qualities are conspicuous, can 
hardly fail to be regarded by its inmates with constantly increas- 
ing pleasure and affection ; and this is the highest motive for 
their adoption that can be urged. Nor is the gratification which 
such structures afford to others to be left out of the account. 
When a house is to be one of many, as in a village, there is an 
added obligation to make it conformable and agreeable. On the 
ground, too, of profit, it is certain that beauty has the advantage 
of deformity. Money spent, not in useless parts, idle splendor, 
and meretricious decorations, but in imparting to a house those 
solid and useful charms to which we have alluded, will seldom 
fail to augment its market value ; and this is a consideration 
which almost every one appreciates. 

If but a single house in a village be well built and hand- 
some, it acquires at once the pre-eminence in estimation and 
value. Let the village be made up, in a great measure, of such 
houses, and its superior reputation and pleasantness will make 
its building lots and its entire property greatly ^more salable. 
In such a community, self-interest, as well as a regard for the 
good opinion of neighbors, will generally deter a man from put- 
ting up a mean dwelling-house. 

There is a street in one of our large cities, on which, by 
agreement of the owners, all the houses were required to stand 
twenty-five feet from the street-line, and to be of a certain 
class, as regards style and cost. At first, this restriction some- 
what impeded the sale of the property. But fast as the street 



46 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

was built upon, its reputation grew, and its lots now command 
twice the price of others lying near, and which ought to have 
been just as valuable. 

There have been many cases in which the ultimate worth of 
property has been greatly enhanced by judicious restrictions in 
regard to the position, character, and uses of the structures 
erected upon it. But far more numerous have been the in- 
stances of depreciated value from the want of such care. How 
often have we seen whole streets and districts which have been 
kept from rising, or have even sunk in the market, in conse- 
quence of the mean and unsightly buildings which have been 
erected in them by the original proprietors, or with their con- 
sent. Such buildings will have a correspondent class of occu- 
pants. There will congregate, if not a vicious, yet a noisy, 
careless, and filthy population, who, when not made so, are at 
least kept so, by the gloomy discomfort of their abodes, and the 
irresistible influence of example. 

The example of one good house is sometimes followed by an 
improvement in the style and taste of a whole village. On the 
other hand, an unsightly erection at some prominent point acts 
as a discouragement to those who would fain improve and beau- 
tify the place. Such an enormity is not only a serious annoy- 
ance to the* eye — it is an invasion of other's rights ; a real 
trespass on one's neighbors, in the view of equity, certainly, if 
not of law. How often has the intrusion of such an object ac- 
tually lowered the value of surrounding property, to an amount 
far exceeding its own ! An offence against the sense of hearing 
or of smell is ranked as a nuisance, is amenable to law, and 
may be abated by its strong arm. We have sometimes felt dis- 
posed to ask why the eye should be less favored. Is it not sub- 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 47 

ject to trials just as real and quite as severe ? Why should the 
noble and delicate faculty of vision be less protected by those 
who make, and expound, and enforce our laws, than the inferior 
senses that convey to us the pleasures and pains of odor and of 
sound ? 

In regard to those moral considerations which make neat- 
ness and beauty so desirable in the arrangements and architec- 
ture of a village, we prefer to use the words, and to urge the 
high authority of President D wight : — u There is a kind of 
symmetry in the thoughts, feelings, and efforts of the human 
mind. Its taste, intelligence, affections, and conduct, are so 
intimately related, that no preconcertion can prevent them 
from being mutually causes and effects. The first thing power- 
fully operated on, and, in its turn, proportionally operative, is 
the taste. The perception of beauty and deformity, of refine- 
ment and grossness, of decency and vulgarity, of propriety and 
indecorum, is the first thing which influences man to attempt 
an escape from a grovelling, brutish character ; a character in 
which morality is effectually chilled, or absolutely frozen. In 
most persons, this perception is awakened by what may be called 
the exterior of society, particularly by the mode of building. 
Uncouth, mean, ragged, dirty houses, constituting the body of 
any town, will regularly be accompanied by coarse, grovelling 
manners. The dress, the furniture, the equipage, the mode of 
living, and the manners, will all correspond with the appearance 
of the buildings, and will universally be, in every such case, of 
a vulgar and debased nature. On the inhabitants of such a 
town, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to work a conviction, 
that intelligence is either necessary or useful. Generally, they 
will regard both learning and science only with contempt. Of 



48 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

morals, except in the coarsest form, and that which has the 
least influence on the heart, they will scarcely have any appre- 
hensions. The rights enforced by municipal law they may be 
compelled to respect, and the corresponding duties they may be 
necessitated to perform ; but the rights and obligations which lie 
beyond the reach of magistracy, in which the chief duties of mo- 
rality are found, and from which the chief enjoyments of society 
spring, will scarcely gain even their passing notice. They may 
pay their debts, but will neglect almost every thing of value in 
the education of their children. 

" The very fact, that men see good houses built around them, 
will, more than almost any thing else, awaken in them a sense of 
superiority in those by whom such houses are inhabited. The 
same sense is derived, in the same manner, from handsomer 
dress, furniture, and equipage. The sense of beauty is necessa- 
rily accompanied by a perception of the superiority which it pos- 
sesses over deformity ; and is instinctively felt to confer this 
superiority on those who can call it their own, over those who 
cannot. This, I apprehend, is the manner in which coarse 
society is first started towards improvement ; for no objects, but 
those which are sensible, can make any considerable impression 
on coarse minds." 

Let it not be said that it is impossible so to build as to please 
all eyes, and that therefore we may as well forego the attempt 
entirely. So far as others are concerned, the main object is 
secured when your work is satisfactory to persons of true intelli- 
gence and taste. But we must also remember that taste is a 
faculty highly susceptible of cultivation. Let each one do what 
he can to awaken it in those who are indifferent to good looks, 
and to correct it in those whose notions are wrong. There is a 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 49 

power in true beauty, as in all other truth, which, sooner or 
later, makes itself felt. Any house destitute of symmetry, and 
of adaptation to its end, — grotesque in form, and tawdry with 
ornament, will soon reveal its deformity, when seen in contrast 
with one of simple elegance, honest in every feature, and reared 
evidently not so much to be looked at, as to live and be 
happy in. 

Consistency is a quality which, in human character, all un- 
derstand and value. It should no less mark the human dwelling. 
This will be the case when in size, form, style, details, and cost, 
it evidently conforms to the character, position, and means of its 
owner. It violates this obligation when the requirements of its 
situation, of climate, of surrounding scenery, and of the neigh- 
borhood, are disregarded in particular features, or in the general 
expression of the design. 

" Count the cost before you begin to build/' is a maxim of 
all ages, and the prudence which it enjoins is not without the 
sanction of lips divine. The question of ability is one which 
every man must settle for himself, so far as to determine what 
amount he can expend. How a given sum, and especially a 
small one, may be most economically and judiciously laid out, is 
quite another affair, and demands very careful consideration. 
Let it be remembered, that in building, cheapness is not always 
true economy. To build without a reasonable regard for 
strength and durability, merely for the sake of saving, evinces 
but a short-sighted frugality. 

The question of economy is not a simple geometrical prob- 
lem, as some would have us consider it. It is not difficult to de- 
cide what form of structure will give, with the least amount of 
material, and at the lowest cost of erection, the greatest quan- 
4 



50 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

tity of cubic space. Leaving out of the question looks and con- 
venience, the rule might do for a temporary barn, which is to 
hold nothing but hay ; and this is about the extent of its appli- 
cation. Hexagonal cells answer perfectly for the storage of 
honey, and an eight-sided prism looks well as a crystal, but 
neither form is suited to the ordinary purposes of a dwelling- 
house. 

We have stated some of the principles which should govern, 
as we conceive, in the planning of a house. To persons accus- 
tomed to observe and reflect we b'elieve that they will commend 
themselves. To such we hope they may prove serviceable, not 
by inducing them to dispense with the skill of educated artists, 
but by showing them their need of it, and how they can best 
employ it. As this is a point in regard to which considerable 
ignorance and prejudice prevail, we dwell upon it for a moment. 
The expense of obtaining a proper plan is the objection with some. 
The short-sightedness of this view has been shown in the neces- 
sity, which it so often involves, of additions and alterations, which 
cost perhaps far more than an architect's fees, and fail to satisfy 
after all. But there is another class more difficult to deal with. 
Many a man, with no experience and little study, fancies that 
he can build a capital house. Architecture, he contends, is no 
mystery, and ought not to be monopolized. A mystery it is not, 
any more than other professions and arts in which it is univer- 
sally conceded that skill is acquired only by long and careful 
application, and by frequent practice. Any man of good abilities 
may understand its principles, and may learn how to apply them, 
provided that he gives to it the requisite time and attention. If 
actively engaged in other pursuits, he cannot possibly do this. Nor, 
unless he means to change his business, and to plan for others as 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 51 

well as himself, would the object be worth the pains it would 
cost. " The life of man/' says Kepton, " is not sufficient to 
excel in all things ; and as l a little knowledge is a dangerous 
thing/ so professors of other arts, as well as of medicine, will 
often find that the most difficult cases are those where the patient 
has begun by quacking himself." 

Many houses are planned by common carpenters, who, for the 
sake of securing the job, frequently offer to make the design 
without charge. When such persons profess to think lightly of 
professional designers, and boast the superiority of "practical 
men/' as they modestly claim to be regarded, it must not be for- 
gotten that they have a motive. The merits of the question may 
be very briefly stated. If you are disposed to copy exactly some 
other man's house, a carpenter is all you need. We trust you 
are not so disposed. Houses, as we have shown, should be 
adapted to the wants of those who occupy them, and these are 
rarely the same in any two cases. Houses need not and ought 
not to look just alike. Such sameness is monotonous, tiresome, 
and, when carried far, becomes absolutely disagreeable. 

In designs thus furnished, the beauties of form are not to be 
looked for. Those details will be selected which are most easy 
to execute, and not those which are most appropriate. Such a 
draughtsman may give the simple elevation — the meagre idea of 
a building, seen directly in front. To know how it will look 
from other points of view, and to give it the proper expression, 
requires an acquaintance with perspective laws, as well as with 
the principles of artistic grouping and of architectural effect. 
Men engaged in the mechanical labor of erecting and finishing 
have no need of these qualifications ; they have no opportunity 
for acquiring them, and seldom, if ever, possess them. In prac- 



52 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

tical carpentry, the main requisite is manual dexterity ; but 
practical designing is a work of the mind. In either case, he is 
most truly practical who is most attentive to his own special de- 
partment. By this we do not mean to underrate the advantages 
which a designer may derive from an experimental knowledge of 
the carpenter's business. Some of our best architects began 
thus. To cultivate their taste, and to master the higher 
branches of their art, they abandoned, of necessity, the manual 
labor of the trade, without losing the valuable knowledge which 
they had acquired of the laws and feasibilities of mechanical con- 
struction. Nor, on the other hand, would we disparage the exer- 
cise of taste and ingenuity in mechanical builders. No cultiva- 
tion of these talents is ever lost. We conclude this topic with a 
single hint. In the studios of those great sculptors, Crawford 
and Powers, there are many Italian workers of marble. It is 
not improbable that some of these " practical mechanics " would 
undertake, for a consideration far inferior to that demanded by 
their masters, to conceive and mould a "Washington for some 
American Capitol. 

It is an error to suppose that the architect's aid is needed 
only by those who erect large and expensive houses. The man 
who in building is compelled to a close economy has, perhaps, 
even greater occasion for the best professional advice. The archi- 
tect who is called to plan such a house, and who would make it 
suitable and satisfactory, must perform a very important duty 
before he begins to make a drawing. He certainly cannot adapt 
his plan to the requirements of his employer, until he has ascer- 
tained what those requirements are. But so vague, often, are 
the notions of men, that this is no easy matter. They need help 
to understand and define their own ideas and wishes. In such 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 53 

cases, the architect must explain, and question, and suggest, until 
his client, as well as himself, shall have a definite notion in regard 
to the size, accommodation, style, and cost of the proposed erec- 
tion, and of those paramount considerations to which every thing 
else must conform. In this matter of advising, an honorable 
architect will feel his moral responsibility ; consulting not so 
much his own fancy, as the character and true interests of those 
who are to occupy the dwelling. It will be his aim so to adapt 
the house to the habits, needs, and circumstances of the family ; 
so to arrange the whole in respect of economy, consistency, and 
architectural propriety, that the result shall be not only pleasing 
at first, but from year to year more and more satisfactory. 

To do this requires not only the exercise of a cultivated taste 
but considerable acquaintance with human nature. Each par- 
ticular occasion demands special examination and careful thought. 
It is this part of the architect's duty which raises his profession 
above what is merely mechanical, or even artistic. This, when 
honestly and judiciously performed, gives to his services their 
truest value. In this respect, his labors are less affected by the 
size and cost of the building than many would suppose. Often, 
indeed, the necessity of designing for a house of low cost increases 
his difficulties. The man of abundant means can afford to have 
ample space for every desired accommodation, without infringing 
on architectural effect. But, in the small dwelling, where every 
dollar must be made to tell, it requires close calculation and 
ingenious contrivance, to secure at once utility and good looks. 
And this difference in designing the two classes of structures 
holds in regard to ornamental details. Says an eminent English 
architect : "lam not ashamed to confess tha,t I have often expe- 
rienced more difficulty in determining the form and size of a 



54 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

hovel or a park entrance than in arranging the several apartments 
of a large mansion/' It is for these reasons that architects 
cannot afford to furnish appropriate and careful cottage designs 
for the same per-centage on the cost as that which would remu- 
nerate them for those of more expensive buildings. The conse- 
quence is that many feel compelled to forego such aid. 

Under such circumstances, the next best course for procuring 
a house-plan seems to be that which many adopt in regard to 
their wardrobe. He who thinks he cannot afford to order a coat, 
finds a tolerable fit among the ready-made and lower priced arti- 
cles of the store. 

A common mode of procuring a design is to take as a model 
some house already built. This particularly suits those who ex- 
perience difficulty in understanding architectural drawings, and 
in forming the conception of an object, not actually before their 
eyes. To the copying of a pattern house, if one in all respects 
suitable can be found, there is perhaps no serious objection, 
except the sameness. But it is often forgotten that the house 
which exactly suits its present location and occupants, may seem 
quite out of place in some other situation, and may be wholly 
unfit for a different kind of family. If, as often happens, an 
attempt be made to modify it by altering its proportions, by 
curtailment in one part, or by some incongruous addition in 
another, the probability is that the good qualities of the original 
will be mostly lost, while their few remaining traces will only 
show the deformity of the alterations. 

The same caution is applicable to the selection of published 
designs. Those principles which should direct in the formation 
of an original design ought also to control in some degree, at 
least, the choice of a ready-made plan. Each man must decide 



THE ADOPTION OF A PLAN. 55 

in his own case what is most suitable for him. The designs in 
this book are offered in the hope that, while they increase the 
variety, they will add something to the facility with which such 
a selection can be made. 

Whatever the plan adopted, let it, when once fixed on, be 
firmly adhered to. Even though it should be found in some 
slight degree imperfect, attempts to improve it after the work 
has begun will be more likely to result in injury, loss, and vexa- 
tion, than in benefit. Those who adopt a published design with 
the idea of modifying it, should remember that a slight alteration 
may change its whole character, and destroy its value. Such a 
change can be safely made only in the same spirit as that which 
governed in the original formation ; and to do it well requires at 
least equal taste and skill. 



CHAPTER VII 



PEINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 




EFORE we apply the general princi- 
ples which have been stated, to the 
selection, or the formation of a design, 
it is important to know what is the 
prominent desire of the owner in 
building, and to what extent it shall 
control other interests. Thus only 
can we determine the purpose and 
situation of the different parts, and 
their adaptation to one another. To 
-■^z^h- -**" this branch of our subject some allu- 

sions have already been made, but it requires more minute con- 
sideration. We shall discuss it under separate heads. 

Economy. — That a man, for the sake of display, or from any 
other motive, should go beyond his means in building, is a folly 
acknowledged by all. But men sometimes err on the other side. 
A penny-wise and pound-foolish frugality is exhibited in the 
houses which men build for themselves, as often as any where 
else. The most valuable properties in a house are underrated. 
They do not get what they need, nor what they can well afford. 
If from either of the above causes a man's house be inappropri- 



PRINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 57 

ate to his character and condition, the inconsistency is soon 
apparent to all, and he must sink somewhat ii] the estimation of 
his neighbors. 

In all cases where expense must be closely calculated, the 
multiplying of angles in the walls and roof should be avoided, so 
far as may consist with the main purpose of the house. Dura- 
bility, low cost, ease of transportation and of working, should 
govern in the selection of material ; and in order to derive from 
it the greatest benefit, that material should be worked in the 
most scientific and skillful manner. When economy is thus 
made the ruling influence, there should be no attempt to conceal 
the fact. Such attempts never succeed. How much better to 
challenge admiration for a happy effort to economize, than to 
incur the disgrace of having pretended to do something which 
was beyond your power ! Especially bear in mind the fact, that 
beauty and convenience are not only consistent with economy, 
but promotive of it, far more frequently than men usually sup- 
pose, — provided these qualities are properly sought in the forms 
of the house itself, rather than in ornaments and appendages. 

Materials. — In the choice of materials, as in other things, 
appropriateness must still govern. Among these, stone in its 
numerous forms holds, by universal consent, the pre-eminence. 
Walls of stone, well laid, last for ages, are proof against fire, a 
protection against both heat and cold, and need no paint, either 
to preserve or beautify them. Were we treating of costly 
structures, we should have much to say in regard to the com- 
parative merits of the various stones in use, and of the different 
ways in which they are prepared and used. But for building 
such houses as we are now considering, stone is not often em- 
ployed in our country, nor is it likely to be so employed for a 



58 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

long time to come. Where it exists in abundance, where the 
cost of quarrying is little or nothing, and that of moving and 
cutting it is slight, stone may be advantageously employed on 
buildings of moderate cost. Walls of rough stone, such as these 
structures would have, finished with the simple details which 
alone become them, are plainly more suitable for the open 
country than for the village. For a farm-house, which is likely 
to remain such, a structure of this material seems very suitable, 
plain as it is, and strong and enduring. But for very small 
houses, especially if located in a village, we should seldom 
advise the use of stone. Let the young householder build at 
first of a cheaper material, and when his improved condition 
shall justify it, he may rear a mansion of brick or stone. 

When bricks are made near by, or from any cause, are the 
material most easily obtained, their use in cheap houses is ap- 
propriate. They admit a wider scope of architectural form, 
with a neater and more elaborate finish, than can be given to 
structures of unwrought stone. Such piles are less clumsy, and 
perhaps less cheerless. Bricks are also more easily transported, 
and more easily laid, than stones are ; and these qualities have 
not unfrequently commended them to village use. But, except 
in those parts of our country which are blessed with pale clays, 
brick walls impose the additional expense of paint. In the coun- 
try, a red house of any material is an abomination to the eye. 

For country buildings of small cost, wood is the substance 
most in use, and so it will be, doubtless, for a good while to 
come. It has not, indeed, the permanent and substantial air 
of brick and stone. But this constitutes, in part, its merit. 
Our young men just starting in life begin with small houses, as 
they ought. But they do not mean, and do not expect to live 



PRINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 59 

in them always. There are few, perhaps, who do not hope 
to see the time when they shall be able to erect a large and 
handsome dwelling, for their middle and declining years. And 
the number is by no means small, whose history proves this to 
have been no idle dream. 

As their humble wood cottages are not meant to be per- 
manent, would it be fitting that they should seem so? Un- 
doubtedly they look flimsy and perishable to the foreigner, who 
has never seen any walls less solid than brick or stone. His 
impressions are of small moment. So long as this way of 
building is congenial to the quick spirit and progressive habits 
of our countrymen, it is also right and fit. 

In the use of wood, no less than of more solid substances, 
regard should be had to attending circumstances. So far as it 
is suitable, there is an evident propriety in employing such wood 
as abounds in the vicinity. It should not only be but seem 
easy of procurement. Let us eschew always the miserable, the 
unpatriotic feeling, which prizes things, (it may be of inferior 
value,) merely because they are far fetched. 

In size and forms let the same consistency be observed. 
Massive and projecting timbers, far larger than strength re- 
quires become a building reared among forests and remote from 
saw-mills and lumber-yards : for this reason, if no other, that it 
would be expensive to make them less. 

Considerable attention has been directed of late, to walls of 
concrete, and their much vaunted cheapness has induced a good 
many persons to put them up. They consist entirely of mor- 
tar, gravel and small stone fragments, laid up in wooden shells 
or moulds, which are removed as fast as the hardening permits 
Where lime, sand, and gravel abound, and stone, brick, and 



60 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

wood are scarce, such walls may save something in the cost. 
But there are objections to them. To build them well requires 
more skill than is needed for an ordinary stone wall. They 
have a blank and monotonous aspect, unless disguised to look 
like something which they are not, and this is a practice that 
we never can commend. But our chief distrust relates to their 
durability. These walls are no new invention, nor are they of 
American origin. There are instances, undoubtedly, in which 
they have stood the test of time. But there have been many 
others, and those in climates far less trying than ours, where 
they have proved worthless. Within our own knowledge, 
several structures of this kind, erected in Massachusetts less 
than two years ago, have already crumbled to powder. A fluid 
concrete of the right ingredients and rightly compounded, may 
undoubtedly acquire the hardness of stone. But as the experi- 
ment, if successful, might not prove economical, and if unsuc- 
cessful would be disastrous, the question of trying it should be 
carefully weighed. 

One rule in regard to all materials we would earnestly in- 
sist on. Let them appear to be what they are. A taste truly 
moral and refined abhors all dishonest imitations in archi- 
tecture. 

If for the sake of looks, or of preservation, walls of wood or 
of brick are painted (as often they should be,) let it still be 
evident that they are painted brick or wood. If on the whole 
it is deemed advisable to plaster on the outside, a rough wall 
of brick or stone, let it show as plaster, and not ridiculously 
pretend to be ashlar. But outside stuccoing is a process which 
we would never advise. It has no particular advantages, either 
of appearance or protection, even supposing that it could be 



PRINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 61 

made to adhere. But it cannot, at least in a climate like 
ours. We do not believe that any outside plastering can long 
withstand our fierce alternations of heat and cold, of moist and 
dry. Certainly we have never seen a wall, thus treated, from 
which the coat did not begin, in a few years, to peel off. The 
only remedy then, is to strip away the whole and renew the 
application ; for an attempt to patch but makes the matter 
worse. It may be shown that some stuccoed houses among us 
have actually cost more in the end, than they would have done, 
if built originally of hewn stone, to say nothing of the vexation 
they caused the owners. To such, the remark of Lord Mans- 
field would not seem extravagant, "that had the front of 
Kenwood been originally covered with Parian marble he should 
have found it less expensive than stucco." 

Style. — When we are considering a structure, as a whole, 
or in its parts, with reference to appearance and expression, 
rather than mere utility and comfort, a close adherence to 
right principles of design is peculiarly desirable. Although 
this will set aside many fanciful forms which are common and 
fashionable, there is no danger of its producing an unpleasing 
uniformity. While the surface and scenery of the country ex- 
hibit an unbounded diversity, and the condition, character, and 
tastes of our countrymen are almost as various, our architecture, 
if properly conformed to these, incurs no danger of tiring by 
its sameness. The servile copying, on which we have already 
remarked, and the architectural absurdities put up by eccentric 
or ambitious persons, which are but too common, indicate an 
ignorance and indifference in regard to the true principles of 
taste, not destined, we hope, to last for ever. 

The fallacy of supposing that architectural beauty consists 



62 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

mainly in ornament, the mere accessories of a building, has 
been already alluded to in passing. Its injurious influence is 
conspicuous every where. The general form of a house is often 
determined with strict regard to cost and utility. The orna- 
mental part is left for after consideration, and so much of it is 
stuck on as the owner thinks he can afford. But beauty of 
outline and shape should evidently be the first consideration, 
while the decorative portion, if there be any, should be designed 
simultaneously and form part and parcel of the whole. Such 
beauty must be imparted at the outset, if at all. The vice in 
question exists, it is to be feared, in high quarters, and needs to 
be reformed at the fountain-head. Let us hope, however, that 
the case is not quite so bad as the words which follow seem to 
import. " The fact is, I never met with the architect yet, 
who did not think ornament meant a thing to be bought in a 
shop and pinned on, or left off, at architectural toilets, as the 
fancy seized them, thinking little more than many women do 
of the other kind of ornament — the only- true kind — St. Peter's 
kind — ' not that outward adorning, but the inner of the heart/ 
I do not mean that architects cannot conceive this better 
ornament, but they do not understand that it is the only 
ornament ; that all architectural ornament is this, and nothing 
but this ; that a noble building never has any extraneous or 
superfluous ornament ; that all its parts are necessary to its 
loveliness, and that no single atom of them could be removed 
without harm to its life. You do not build a temple and then 
dress it. You create it in its loveliness, and leave it as her 
maker left Eve. Not unadorned, as I believe, but so well 
adorned as to need no feather crowns." • 

*The Stones of Venice, Vol. I. p. 388. London ed. 1851. 



PKINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 63 

Let it not be supposed that attention to this point would 
necessarily increase the expense. On the other hand, if timely 
and judicious, it would often diminish it. 

The subject of architectural orders may seem somewhat 
beyond the aim of this work and of our humble designs. We 
trust that the little which we may say under this head, will not 
be found inappropriate or useless. Much money has been 
wasted in this country, and great inconvenience has been in- 
curred, through mistaken notions and idle fancies in regard to 
architectural styles. Unfortunately, the first impulses of am- 
bition in building took a Greek direction. For a time in the 
earlier part of this century, it was thought that almost every 
public structure must be Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian. Accord- 
ingly we had Grecian Court-houses, and Custom-houses, 
Grecian Banks and Churches, Grecian Taverns, and Colleges, 
and Capitols. Nor was the rage confined to edifices of this 
description. Both in city and country dwelling houses rose 
with huge columns at the end, largely consumptive of wood 
and paint. There is reason to believe that this folly has had 
its day. 

We might urge the weakness of the lintel and architrave as 
compared with the arch. We might contrast the tame flatness 
and tiresome sameness of that Grecian horizontal squareness, 
with the bold, soaring, graceful, and ever varying curves and lines 
of the best Gothic. We might show up the one, all artificial and 
mathematically stiff, while the other is easy, accommodating, 
and full of pleasing analogies that remind us of Nature and its 
endless diversities of beauty. But it is enough to say here 
that the Greek construction is not adapted to our wants. It 
lacks the essential element of fitness to the purposes for which 



64 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

our buildings are erected. Nor is this strange. The temples 
of Greece, which we absurdly try to copy, were reared not to be 
used but to be gazed at. They were costly offerings, splendid 
monuments, set up in honor of some god or goddess, and 
as evidences not only of individual or national piety, but also 
of wealth, taste, and power. The dark cell of the Parthe- 
non might be employed on some great festival to burn a victim 
in. For this it answered well enough. Its real use was to help 
sustain the roof, and to form a central core for the splendid 
peristyle. A genuine Greek structure of the Doric type, unless 
it be meant for a tomb, it is impossible for us to have. In 
proportion as we approach such a result, it is done with great 
waste of room, material, and labor, and involves a serious ob- 
struction of air and light. Look at one of these abortive 
imitations. The space below the columns is almost wholly 
useless. If it be a great public structure, this space is occu- 
pied in front by a blank, tedious and sometimes frightful flight 
of steps. Ecce signum — the New York Custom-House ! The 
huge pillars darken the lower windows and obstruct their 
prospects. The upper windows are often entirely hid behind 
the deep entablature, and the occupants of such rooms never 
get beyond a respectable twilight. This mass of base and 
colonnade, of entablature and pediment, and of roof to cover 
them, is very costly, and all the good it does is to make the 
building difficult of access, and dark, and inconvenient. When 
these features are of wood, they are still more objectionable, as 
being not only specially liable to decay, but very attractive and 
accessible to fire. And finally the low-pitched roofs of this 
style are wholly unfit to meet the stern necessities of northern 
climes. If we have dwelt a moment on this theme, it is be- 



PRINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 65 

cause we would aid, in our humble measure, to banish, entirely 
a style of building which possesses so little of real beauty, 
variety, and power, and thus direct the popular mind toward 
other modes which combine all these qualities. With the 
greatest of modern writers on art, we believe it both desirable 
and practicable to educate the people generally in the great 
principles of architecture, and thus to create a pure and healthy 
public taste. Nor is the subject out of place here if, (as we 
firmly think,) he is right in saying, " that all good architecture 
rises out of good and simple domestic work ; and that therefore, 
before you attempt to build great churches and palaces, you 
must build good house doors, and garret windows." For our- 
selves, we may be pardoned if we add, that these opinions of 
the comparative merits of Greek and Gothic, are by no means 
new. They were formed in the school of Upjohn, years before 
the "Seven Lamps" and the "Stones of Venice" fell like 
bombs into the camps of Classical and Kenaissance archi- 
tecture, — and reflection and experience have but confirmed 
our faith. 

It is not by a servile and ignorant copying of any style, that 
our domestic architecture is to be truly and generally improved. 
We think it pretty clear in what direction we must look for 
any real and great reform, but in seeking it there is need of 
caution and judgment, as well as of knowledge and skill. 

Among the Gothic cottages, so called, which have sprung 
up among us, in great numbers of late years, it is not unusual 
to see one so excessively Gothic as to look bike a caricature. 
The roof is broken and squeezed into many narrow gables,, and 
makes a prodigious display of pinnacles and verge boards. All 
ideas of convenience and use were evidently secondary, if indeed 
5 



66 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

they entered at all into the designer's thoughts. This is the 
very reverse of the spirit which inspired the oldest and best 
Gothic, and which must govern still, whenever it is employed 
aright. 

For the same reason it is evidently absurd to imitate in a 
country home, either ecclesiastical or castellated architecture. 
We can hardly imagine any thing more puny than a diminutive 
American copy, executed in this ninteenth century, from one of 
those stern old castles, which were not only proper but neces- 
sary in the days of Front de Boeuf. 

Not a few in forming or choosing a design, seem to be influ- 
enced by a passion for novelty, — the desire of exhibiting some- 
thing unusual and strange, that shall at least excite wonder if it 
fail of admiration. It is a poor motive of action at the best, and 
in such cases is very likely to result in dissatisfaction. 

The aspect of a dwelling-house naturally suggests to us some 
idea in regard to the character and condition of its occupants. 
There may be, and there ought to be, in the expression of a 
house something that shall aid us in this matter. It is not a 
mere fancy, that the spirit and character of the inmates may be 
made in some measure to appear in the outward expression of 
the structure. At any rate, when a man's home is grossly incon- 
sistent with his disposition and circumstances, the incongruity is 
apparent to all. 

Let the construction and arrangement of the house have a 
distinct reference to the employment of its inhabitant. The 
soiled and weary mechanic, returning at night, will usually prefer 
a comfortable nook and plain seat by the kitchen fire-place, or 
cooking-stove, to a sofa in the parlor furnished with carpets, cur- 
tains, and mahogany. He would feel out of place — he would be 



PEINCIPLES AS APPLIED TO DETAILS. 67 

uneasy and unhappy, if compelled to stay long amid the elegan- 
cies which surround the man of property and taste. Let such a 
person consult his inclinations. If it is quite certain that the 
kitchen, or common living-room, will he the place of his habitual 
abode, let that room, at least, be spacious, comfortable, and plea- 
sant. Let him consider that his own every-day comfort, and 
that of his family, are far more important than any impression 
which may be made on the minds of occasional visitors. In 
many village and farm-houses, the parlor, so called, is positively 
superfluous — a locked-up room, kept for company, opened, per- 
haps, three or four times a year, where the furniture generally 
gets mouldy, and the air is always musty. 

A sensible man will compel others to respect his employment, 
be it what it may, by the evident and consistent regard which he 
shows to its conditions. To ape in one's house, or in any thing 
else, another, whose position is different, is a sort of confession 
that you despise your own. 

The size of a house will modify, to some extent, its form and 
character. Kegularity and variety are more easily attained in 
large than in small structures. It is very unwise to attempt the 
reproduction of a large house by a reduced copy. The compari- 
son which is thus forced upon us, is greatly to the disadvantage 
of the latter. 

The nature of the material used should have an influence in 
determining not only the general form, but the constituent parts. 
A given design may perhaps be executed in stone, or brick, or 
wood, but seldom, if ever, will it be equally appropriate for all. 
Each material has its distinctive character, and as it must im- 
part more or less of the same to the structure, it demands in 
each case its own particular treatment. 



68 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

Scenery and position must be taken into the account. Eus- 
tic features look well only in the midst of rural simplicity. 
Architectural elegance should be reserved for cultivated scenes. 
The Swiss style of cottage originated in the necessities of moun- 
taineers. Among hills, ■ it shows to advantage its overhanging 
roofs, its projecting galleries, and sturdy brackets. In a modified 
form, it may be adapted to many of our rough hill sides. If one 
is about to build where Nature is wild and grand, he will do 
wisely to avoid the regularity of shape, the precision and finish, 
which look well in the village street. 

In what degree will your house be conspicuous ? From what 
points will it be seen ? What prospects, near or remote, will it 
command ? These are questions which, properly considered, 
must have more or less influence on the character of your design. 

Nor can you, in this important matter, disregard considera- 
tions of climate. It is well to remember that you will need both 
sunshine and shade. That there are winds to be courted, and 
winds to be shunned. That there will be rain storms and hail 
storms, and snow storms. That there will be fierce invasions of 
winter cold and summer heat. Against these inevitable assaults 
of the elements, the defences which you provide should be appro- 
priate and sufficient. 



CHAPTEE VIII. 

COTTAGES OF ONE STORY. 

THEEE is little probability that houses of only one story will 
ever be looked upon with general favor in a country where 
almost every one seems anxious to be getting up in the world. 
To say nothing of other reasons, the fact that a second or third 
story can be added with nearly the same cost of foundation and 
roof, readily occurs to economical people. But there are cases 
where economy demands the one-storied house. If the struc- 
ture must be so small that its other dimensions hardly exceed 
the proper height of a story, this form is clearly indicated. 
And this necessity will always exist. Multitudes must content 
themselves with the small, low cottage. Fortunately, it is not 
without its recommendations. The rooms are on a level. The 
indoors work is more easily done. There is no toilsome climbing 
up stairs, nor can children break their necks by falling down 
them, or from chamber windows. * When the wants and means 
of the owner shall justify it, a wing can be added, or a story in- 
terposed. 

In places exposed to violent winds, and also under the covert 
of some sheltering ridge, or grove, a low house is often the most 
suitable. On large country-seats, the farm-house and the 



70 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

laborer's cottage will generally be made low, that they may not 
obstruct the view, or become too prominent in the landscape. 

In all houses of this sort ; there should be special precaution 
against a damp and impure atmosphere. They should be set 
well up from the ground, with care to prevent water from set- 
tling under, or around them. To avoid breathing the moist and 
dangerous night air, which hovers near the earth, let each sleep- 
ing apartment be ventilated by a pipe, opening at the top of the 
dwelling, and drawing its supply from above. 

DESIGN I. 

It is our endeavor here to present an arrangement with the 
smallest amount of accommodation that seems consistent with a 
decent and orderly management of the household. It is, of 
course, fitted only for a family of the smallest size and most 
moderate aims. 

Its apartments are a living-room, l. r., to answer the gen- 
eral purposes of kitchen and eating-room ; a sitting-room, s. R., 
for reading, sewing, and the reception of friends ; and a bed- 
room, b. r. Connected with the living-room is a closet, and a 
passage leading to the wood-room, w. r., in the rear. This 
may be used for the storage of fuel, and large utensils of the 
house and garden ; and, in summer, for washing clothes, &c. 
The cellar stairs may go down* from this room. The plan shows 
no fireplaces. The use of stoves is so nearly universal in 
houses of this class, that there is but little inducement to pro- 
vide other means for warming or cooking. Accordingly, the 
chimneys start from the ceilings. In the living-room and 
sitting-room there are openings for stove-pipes. The chimney- 






DESIGN, NO. I. 




PLAN. 




COTTAGES OF ONE STORY. 71 

caps are of terra-cotta, and stand on a brick base. The doors 
are so placed as to make the work and care of the housewife 
easy, while the sitting-room has all the seclusion that can be 
desired. 

The exterior is equally simple. The wall is covered with 
vertical boards, and battened at the joints. The window trim- 
mings are plain and cheap, and appropriate to a wooden house 
like this. These, with the projecting cornice and the entrance 
porch, make the little structure inviting and homelike, and at 
once reveal its purpose. To the last-named feature we call 
attention. 

We regard it as essential to a good dwelling-place that it 
have an entrance-space, or hall, separating the outer door from 
the rooms in use, and connecting them with one another. The 
constant occasions of the inmates demand it, and without it 
there can be no security against the intrusion of unwelcome 
winds or company. 

The projecting gable of the porch, it will be seen, is both a 
shelter and an ornament. 

This house, having but one sleeping apartment, is suited to 
a married couple without children. Should additional room 
become necessary, a low second story may easily be added. In 
such case, the present bedroom might be used for stairway and 
pantries. With its aspect thus altered, the house would look 
like Design No. 7, or like No. 9, according to the manner of 
making the change. 

Snugness and modesty are the prominent characteristics of 
this design. Its most appropriate place would be a small lot in 
some sheltered position. A neat and simple fence should in- 
close the ground. 



72 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

The height of the rooms is 8 ft. 6 in. The cost of the 
building, as shown, is estimated at $575. 

Note. — On the tender points of estimate and cost, we are anxious not 
to mislead. Something of the kind is always expected, and must be fur- 
nished. But to do this accurately requires a knowledge of particulars which 
vary with time and place. Given, the cost of labor and materials at the 
moment, and on the spot, and a very near approximation can be made. In 
our estimates we have reckoned nothing for digging, carting, or leveling; 
nothing for cellar walls, or foundation stone. In many cases, these wi.l 
involve no outlay of money, while, in most cases, the nature of the ground 
and other circumstances differ so greatly as to render estimates useless. 

As a basis of calculation, we have assumed the following valuation : — 

Carpenter's work, at $1 62 per day. 

Mason's " at $1 75 " 

Common labor, at $1 12 " 

Timber and rough boards, at $15 00 per M. ft. 

Good lumber, at $28 00 " " 

Bricks, common hard, at $4 00 " 

Nails, at 4^ cts. per lb. 

Glass, at $2 25 per box. 

With the aid of builders of skill and experience, all these designs have 
been carefully estimated from working plans. "We believe that the sum 
named for each plan is sufficient for its erection in the most perfect manner, 
at the prices above given. Wherever and whenever the cost of materials 
and work is either greater or less than we have assumed, the proper allow- 
ance must be made. 



DESIGN NO. II. 

Here we have larger rooms, and four instead of three. A 
narrow entry opens conveniently into the sitting-room and the 
living-room, — the corners of these apartments heing cut off for 



DESIGN, NO. II. 



w 








^ 



COTTAGES OF ONE STOEY. 73 

the purpose. This irregularity is balanced by the closet in the 
centre of the house. Without loss of available space, this 
arrangement is promotive of convenience and good looks. A 
side-door, opening into the living-room, is protected by an open 
porch of simple form. By means of light, movable shutters, 
and a door, this porch in the winter may be changed to a close 
one. As more suitable to this style of house, a square built 
brick chimney rises from the ground. A cellar may be made 
under part of the house, with entrance from the wood-room. 

In very small houses we cannot have every conven- 
ience. In this, the wood-room does not connect with the 
interior. If only one of the back rooms be wanted for sleeping, 
a door may open from the other. The same room will answer 
for stairs and pantry, should it be found expedient to raise the 
roof. But this could not be effected so easily as in the former 
case. This house would form a suitable wing to a larger one 
erected in front. In this case, the main porch might be carried 
to the side, the two principal rooms converted into one, and 
the others used for pantry and store-room. 

We have designed this house for a clapboard covering, the 
horizontal lines of which suit its spreading form and low roof. 
The details of cornice and windows are very simple, and orna- 
ment is scarcely used. The structure is not intended for a 
nrominent point of *j.on, or to be looked at from a distant. It 
would well become a small regular plot, a little removed from 
the road, with a neat garden behind it, and open greensward in 
front ; a fit abode for some aged couple, or widow, where they 
could still enjoy the independence which they love, and some- 
times see their children. 

Height of rooms, 9 feet. Cost, about $625. 



74 VILLAGE AND FAEM COTTAGES. 

Note. — In explanation of the landscape and foliage shown around these 
houses, a few words seem proper. It certainly is not intended to offer these 
accessories of the pictures as models of scenery to be sought, or strictly imi- 
tated. This would be generally impossible. They show, at least, what may 
be accomplished by a judicious disposition of trees, shrubbery, and grounds. 
They will be useful, suggestively, we hope. To the artists we have endea- 
vored to indicate the general character of the place for which the plan was 
deemed appropriate, Much was necessarily left to them, and to their taste 
and skill is mainly due the credit of these pleasing accompaniments. Not- 
withstanding the opinion of Loudon, we believe that the size and general 
effect of a building may be better appreciated, amid surroundings like these, 
than it can be without them. 



DESIGN NO. III. 

It is needless to say for whom this plan was intended, as 
the whole family is in sight. The owner, whom you see so busy 
with hammer and nail, is one of that independent sort, who like 
to do things in their own way. On the edge of the village he 
bought a piece of ground, but partly cleared, and which nobody 
else had thought of. Here, amid the spared trees, he put his 
house. He wanted but three rooms. You see that they are 
larger than those of No. 1, and differently disposed. A veran- 
dah, where he could sit in the shade, and enjoy the fresh air, 
he was resolved to have. To. carry out his own views of con- 
venience and comfort, he disregarded the advice of neighbors, 
who insisted that it would be quite as cheap, and much better, 
to build his house " regular and square." He did nothing for 
mere fancy. The cornice is unornamented, the front door 
plain, the window caps are strips of plank sustained by three- 
cornered blocks. An evident purpose pervades every part of 
the plan. At first it looked so plain, compared with neighbor- 



DESIGN, NO. III. 




PLAN". 




COTTAGES OF ONE STORY. 75 

ing houses, which were tricked out in gingerbread finery, that 
people laughed, and called it barn-like. Not so now. Prairie 
roses, planted and trained by the owner's own hand, already 
supply the want of pilaster and cornice. Honeysuckles will 
soon climb the slender columns of the verandah, and hang be- 
tween them in fragrant festoons. Ere long, grape-vines will 
display their purple clusters, where now the bean-poles stand. 
The maize-patch, at present somewhat too near, will be re- 
placed by grass and flowers ; and then, perhaps, some who 
once scorned the homely dwelling will stop to gaze, and long to 
enter. 

Let them enter. They will find every thing in order within. 
The interior of the house was planned to suit its mistress. 
Each room is entered directly from the entry, and this being 
the only connection between them, no one can be used as a 
passage way to others. The kitchen, with all its sounds and 
odors, is effectually separated from the sitting-room. Each of 
these rooms is supplied with a pantry, and a back-door opens 
out from the latter. The inside walls are neatly papered. The 
doors and trimmings are plain and substantial. 

Height of rooms, 8 ft. 6 in. Cost, estimated at $650. 

I DESIGN NO. IV. 

This plan combines some of the peculiarities of the first, 
second, and third. The rooms of the main building are disposed 
as in No. 2, but, being larger, admit of a passage to the kitchen 
in the rear. This also allows one of the front rooms to be used 
as a parlor. The sitting-room, kitchen, and bedrooms have 
each a pantry. 



76 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

The exterior, as compared with the preceding, shows more 
attention to symmetry, and more care in the details. The 
bracketed cornice, the double verandah, and wide projecting 
door-hood, bear witness that comfort and taste, as well as 
cheapness, have determined the choice of style. It would be 
peculiarly appropriate for a summer cottage, and would answer 
well for the permanent occupancy of a small family without 
servants. 

Nestling in some sunny nook upon the hill-side, guarded 
and sheltered by tall old trees, painted of a cheerful color, and 
decorated with vines and flowers, this cottage would have 
charms for the dullest eye. 

It is not, however, strictly economical. The great extent 
of roof, as compared with the height, makes the space inclosed 
more expensive. 

Height of rooms, 9 ft. The estimated cost is $1000. 

Note. — In all the plans of this chapter, there is an inclosed space between 
the ceiling and roof. This provision is important, not only to protect the 
inmates against the heat of the summer sun, but to aid in retaining the 
warmth of their winter fire. To this space, there should be some mode of 
access. A scuttle on the rear slope of the roof is probably the best for houses 
of one story. 



DESIGN, NO. IV 




\^Y~ 



!| ; W.R L 




f 8.fi - 10.10 I I 8 6 « 10. If 



CHAPTEK IX. 

COTTAGES OF ONE STORY AND ATTIC. 

AS the structures, called story and a half houses, are usually 
built, the roof is low, and the upper rooms, in consequence, 
are inconvenient, uncomfortably warm, and poorly ventilated. 
With some reason, then, it is asserted that it is better to give 
more height to the side walls, and by means of a flat, or very 
low-pitched roof, secure a full, though not a high story. It is 
conceded that such a story is generally more comfortable than 
one in which the ceiling follows the line of the roof. But it 
will often happen that steep roofs are preferred, and for the best 
of reasons, in cases where economy allows only one full story 
below them. When this happens, the attic rooms may, by care 
in the construction, be made almost as valuable as those with 
vertical walls. They can be more easily and perfectly venti- 
lated, and to finish them for use adds but slightly to the ex- 
pense. We have given more examples of this sort than of any 
other, as it must always commend itself to that numerous class 
with whom it is an object to obtain considerable house-room at 
a very moderate cost. 



78 



VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 



DESIGN NO. V. 



In its general form, this design differs but slightly from 
many which may be seen in almost every village. Without 
pretending any originality, it attempts some improvement on a 
prevalent style of dwelling. It is the smallest size admitting 
upper-story accommodation. 

The two main rooms are separated by front and rear passages, 
and by the staircase which leads up from the front entry, and is 
equally accessible to both rooms. The stairs have a platform 
above the rear entry, from which they are returned over a recess 
in the Kving-room, a little lower than the rest of the room. The 
rear extension may serve as a back kitchen, or wood-room. 

A scaffold over the stairs in the second story, 
which rests on the two cross partitions, sus- 
tains the chimney. The recess in the living- 
room may be inclosed for a pantry. A closet 
is made on the stair-platform in the second 
story. 

In houses like this, the front door is often 
near one end, opening into a room. A brick 
chimney, with a fireplace in each apartment, 
rises from the ground. The stairs are at the 
end of the house. The points of difference 
are manifest, and favor, in our plan, both looks and comfort. 
No outer door opens into a room. No room is made the passage 
way to another room. The exterior is regular. The little chim- 
ney is an ornament, and the porch invites you and offers its shel- 
ter. The form and arrangement of the end windows improve the 
outside look, while they make the inside cheerful. As this cot- 




SECOND FLOOR. 



DESIGN, NO. V. 




FIRST STOEY. 




DESIGN, NO. VI. 




FIRST STORY. 



I 



L.R 



:u 



COTTAGES OF ONE STOEY AND ATTIC. 



79 



tage is low and would not obstruct the view, it is suitable for a 
gardener's, or laborer's home, on some large place. Or it might 
serve as the temporary abode of some young and growing family, 
to be made, in time, the wing of a larger house. In such case it 
would be wise to place it with reference to the probable enlarge- 
ment. The construction and finish of this house are very plain. 
Its sides may be covered with clapboards, or with vertical boards 
and battens. 

Height of first story 7 ft. 6 in. Length of posts 11 ft. 
Cost, $820. 

DESIGN NO. VI. 



There was a coach-house, no longer needed as such, and the 
owner concluded to remove it, and convert it into a dwelling. 
The building was about twenty feet square, with twelve feet 
posts, and a flat roof. The plan adopted is shown in this design. 

On the lower floor there are two rooms, each fifteen feet long 
and ten wide, — a good pantry, — two passage ways, and an easy 
staircase. The chimney communicates with both rooms. The 
cellar stairs are under the others, being 
lighted by a small rear window. The 
rooms, as may be seen, are well lighted. 
Either room may be used independently 
of the other, yet not an inch of space or 
of partition is wasted. 

The same economy is observed in the 
second story. 

Here are three sleeping rooms, so that this house, small as it 
is, will accommodate a family of considerable size. 




SECOND FLOOB. 



80 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



The first story is eight feet six inches high. This leaves 
two feet six inches (between floor and ceiling) at the side of 

the chamber. But, two feet 
from the wall, the height of the 
room is five and a half feet. 
This advantage, as the section 
shows, is due to the sharpness 
of the roof. As the chambers 
have a space of nearly eight feet 
square, where an adult can 
stand erect, they are evidently 
but little injured by the slant. 

This exterior is also perfectly 
regular. The side covering is 
* section. , vertical, as better suited to its 

style. The finish is very plain. The verandah is simply made, 
with solid posts and brackets. There is a plain shed in the rear. 
Through a slight error in the engraving, the base of this house 
does not show as it should. The terra-cotta chimney-caps are 
simple and cheap. 

Height of first story 8 ft. 6 in. Second story 2 ft. 6 in. at 
the walls and 9 ft. at the ceiling. Cost, $900. 




DESIGN NO. VII. 

Similar to the last in size of rooms and general arrangement, 
but more commodious and of higher character. By adding four 
feet to the length, and by projecting a porch in front, we obtain 
space for an additional apartment, so that besides the kitchen 
and living-room, there is a parlor for social occasions. The 



* This section is reversed in engraving. 



DESIGN", NO. VII. 




FIRST STORY. 




COTTAGES OF ONE STORY AND ATTIC. 



81 



kitchen has a large and convenient pantry, and each bedroom is 
furnished with a closet. Like most of our houses this is designed 
for a family without servants, and the 
arrangements of the doors is meant to 
facilitate the household work. 

The smoke flues may be carried up as 
shown, or they may be brought together 
over the chamber ceiling, resting on the 
cross partitions, and provided, as in No. 6, 
with terra-cotta pots. The front win- 




SECOND FLOOR. 



dows reach the floor and open like doors, 
for the better enjoyment of the verandahs. The form of the sec- 
ond story rooms, and the heights of both stories are the same as 
in No. 6. Cost, $1000. 



DESIGN NO. VIII. 



Thus far, with one exception, all our fronts have been regular 
in shape and uniform in parts. In this we 
have symmetry with variety. The door and 
window canopies are wholly unlike, and each 
seems formed as with a single eye to its own 
utility. But in size, form, and position, 
they are so proportioned and balanced, so 
connected by the regular outline of the front, 
and by the upper windows, stretching partly 
over both, that there is no feeling of de- 
formity or of one-sidedness in the view. 

The house has less accommodation than 

the last. One apartment answers for kitchen and living-room ; 

but its arrangements are convenient. It has a pantry of gener- 
6 



__^ 




L.R 


1 


14x14 


1= 


m . 


B_ 


1 


: 



FIRST STORY PLAN, 



82 



VILLAGE AND FAEM COTTAGES. 



ous size, and communicates directly with the front and rear 
entrances, and with that to the cellar ; thus saving many steps. 
The front window is pleasantly shaded, and has a small balcony, 
where roses and geraniums can take the air on sunny days. 
The stairs (uninclosed) have a hand-rail, and turn across the 
hall at the top, to avoid the roof. On the 
upper floor there are three bedrooms and 
three closets, the height being the same as in 
the preceding two designs. 

Numbers 6, 7, and 8 may be classed 
together. They will seem appropriately 
placed where hills or. trees, or other tall ob- 
jects, harmonizing with their vertical lines, 
are seen in connection with them. On a 
broad plain, and without shelter, they might 
look as if they needed companions. 

Another suggestion applies equally to the three. The rear 
door opens under a plain verandah or shed. Here ought always 
to be an inclosed structure, in size and finish suited to the wants 
and means of the owner, for the storage of fuel and tools, and for 
other useful purposes. Cost of Design 8, $950. 




SECOND FLOOR. 



DESIGN NO. IX. 



Our plans, thus far, have been formed to meet the wants of 
a numerous, but active and earnest class, who are disposed or 
compelled to make the most of their means, and who seek con- 
siderable accommodation at small cost. The house before us is 
of a different stamp. We may suppose its owner to be moderate 
in his wishes, and somewhat exact, perhaps, in his habits. With 



DESIGN, NO. VIII. 




DESIGN, NO. IX. 




COTTAGES OF ONE STOKY AND ATTIC. 



83 



no family but himself and wife, with a small but regular income, 
he has built according to his taste and means. No idea of future 
change or extension entered his head. 
Its characteristics are simplicity, snug- 
ness, neatness and quiet. On the 
first floor the quiet couple have their 
pleasant parlor, and their snug little 
sitting-room, with the kitchen adjoin- 
ing, and they have two good chambers 
above. The curved form of the roof, 
while it makes the attic more commo- 
dious, has a substantial and pleasing 
look. In the cut the floor plan was 
unintentionally reversed. To restore 
it, would bring the sitting-room and 
kitchen on the right of the entrance, 
as seen in the perspective. This is easily done, and the same 
may be done in any other of the plans, should circumstances jus- 
tify a change of the kind. In an 
emergency, or by a different family, 
the small sitting-room may be used as 
a bedroom. The chimney-top in its 
character and support is like that of 
No. 5. The side walls are suited to a 
vertical covering. The work is all 
simple and substantial. 

Height of each story, 8 feet 6 
inches to the ceiling. Second story, 4 feet 6 inches at the walls. 
Cost, $1,075. 




FIB8T FLOOR PLAN. 



10X 15 



10X15 



SECOND FLOOB PLAN. 



84 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



DESIGN NO X. 



We have here uniformity of parts without formality, and a 
good degree of picturesqueness, with convenience of arrangement. 
The living-room or parlor, occupies the entire front, and is of 
regular shape throughout. The bay-window, seven feet wide and 
three deep, improves the outward look, and adds immensely to 
the pleasantness of the interior. One outer door opens into the 
hall, which communicates with the parlor, kitchen, and bed- 
room. This hall contains the stairs, which are not inclosed. 
The door on the other verandah opens into the kitchen. A lat- 
tice screen across the verandah should conceal it from the front. 
The rear, as shown, has a back-kitchen and chimney, with a 
wood-room annexed. If not needed, this 
back-kitchen may be omitted from the plan, 
a smaller extension for wood-room being 
substituted in its place. The chimneys are 
of brick from the ground. The house is well 
supplied with pantries in both stories. The 
cellar stairs open from the kitchen. Let the 
side covering be vertical boards and battens. 
Clapboards would seriously injure its charac- 
ter. The picture indicates not only the style 
of the house, but, to some extent, its appro- 
priate surroundings. Let no such cottage 
stand in a bleak, open field, as if it had been accidentally dropped 
there, and forgotten. 

Height of stories same as in No. 9. Cost, $1,100. 




: HBBBHBB 



Sl'OOM) FT.OOK. 



DESIGN, NO. X. 




FIEST STOET PLAN. 




DESIGN, NO. XI. 




FIRST STORY PLAN. 




COTTAGES OF ONE STORY AND ATTIC. 



85 



DESIGN NO XI. 




This cottage is compact and economical, but with powers of 
accommodation considerably beyond any of those which have 
been presented. A good-sized parlor, a comfortable living-room, 
an entrance hall, large enough to answer as a sitting or an eat- 
ing-room in summer, and five bedrooms, are comprised within a 
space of about twenty-seven feet 
square. A back-kitchen, wood- 
room, pantries, etc., are furnished 
in an extension at the rear. 

Every room in the house is 
provided with a closet. In the 
parlor there are two, so disposed 
as to give the interesting form of 
a bay to the front end of the 
room. Each bedroom has a small gable window, and three of 
them have a dormer-window each, in addition, of such width as 
to make them useful and pleasant. The side covering should be 
vertical, though clapboards will answer. 

This house is superior to the preceding ones, not only in size 
and commodiousness, but in decoration and finish. The roof has 
a wide projection at the gables, supported by brackets. The 
dormer-windows have ornamental supporters at the sides, sawn 
from thick plank, with simple brackets under the cornice. The 
verandah is ceiled above horizontally. This plan, like the pre- 
ceding one, is reversed in the engraving. The height of stories 
the same as No. 9. Cost, $1,500. 



8ECOND FLOOB PLAN. 



86 



VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 



DESIGN NO XII. 



The house before us, with fewer rooms than its predecessor 
has, is more costly. But it has advantages, notwithstanding, 
which will probably commend it to some. Such are, rooms of 
larger size ; a hall which extends through the house (so conducive 
to summer comfort) ; the open staircase, with its balustrade ; a 
wider separation of the rooms, and the pleasing irregularity of 
its external form. A single glance at its features and finish 
would show to the passing observer, that the owner was both able 
and willing to consult his tastes as well as his purse. 

The arrangement needs some explanation. The stairs, start- 
ing just back of the parlor-door, on the right side of the hall, 
land on a platform, six feet above the floor, from which they re- 
turn over the bedroom 
closet. At the rear of 
the landing, a partition 
crosses the hall, with a 
door at the side of the 
staircase. The cellar 
flight, starting in the 
back hall, goes dcfrvn 
under the main stairs, 
that part of it beyond 
the platform being in- 
cased. The back porch is open, and the wood-room is beyond it, 
with kitchen-pantry, and other conveniences. 

In the second story, the stairs land over the partition between 
the parlor and bedroom. There are two pantries between the 




SECOND STORY PLAN. 



DESIGN, NO. XII. 




FIKST STOKY PLAN. 




COTTAGES OF ONE STOKY AND ATTIC. 87 

chambers at the right of the hall — one for each. There is a 
small one also in the back chamber beyond the stairs. There is 
a large closet in the hall for bedding, etc., and a small one in 
the left-hand chamber. If needful, this room may be divided 
in the centre, and a portion of the hall closet devoted to the 
front half. The chimneys are of brick, and topped out with 
the same. The small dormer-windows in the roof are intended 
for ventilation as much as for light. But they are decorative 
features also. The window caps are of plank, supported on 
simple brackets. The front gable window has a flower-balcony. 
The verandah is solid and plain, and is so finished as to show 
its construction. Sawn brackets of solid plank adorn the gable 
cornices, while the extended rafters are made to show along the 
eaves. 

The first story is nine feet high. The second is like those 
last described. 

Though this house would not be out of place on almost any 
village lot, it is especially suited to one somewhat irregular in 
surface, or outline. It is well fitted for a corner house, the 
fronts, seen in the engraving, showing on the two streets. In 
any event, the lot on which it stands should be of good size. 

This plan may be easily spoiled. No alteration should be 
attempted without good advice. Some practical man may per- 
haps object to its irregularity. He may wonder that one part 
of the house stands back of the other. If he prefer the square, 
dreary, double house, so common formerly, and seen sometimes 
still, his wish is easily gratified, and for a model he can take a 
packing-box. 

The cost of this house is $1,625. 



CHAPTER. X. 



HILL-SIDE COTTAGES 



FROM convenience or from choice, many houses are placed on 
the hill or mountain side. When judiciously selected and 
properly built upon ; such sites have many advantages. Eaised 
above the miasms which too often float over the lowlands and 
stagnant waters of the valley, their occupants breathe a purer 
and more salubrious air. From such points, as from lofty watch- 
towers, the eye commands, at pleasure, all the variety and beauty 
of the landscape. Seen from a distance, they are often and 
should always be points of light and loveliness — such as make 
us wish we " had wings like a dove," that we might flyaway to 
their leafy shelter and enjoy their cool repose. Notwithstanding 
the fatigues of climbing and the dangers of descent, the remote- 
ness and seclusion to which such situations are sometimes inci- 
dent, and their peculiar exposure to the blasts of winter, there 
are always some who will live nowhere else. 

The habitation which is properly fitted to an unusual or 
rugged site, has a character and beauty of its own. We like to 
trace in it the evidences of an allegiance to Nature, the confes- 
sion of her superority. We are pleased to notice what difficul- 
ties have been overcome, and to find that such a house can be 
conformed to its position, and made to harmonize with the 
scenery, without impairing its usefulness. 



HILL-SIDE COTTAGES. 89 

By way of calling attention to the advantages which, such 
situations possess, and of suggesting some of the ways in which 
they may be turned to good account, we offer two designs for 
hill-side cottages. 

Basements, as they are usually made, more or less beneath 
the surface of the ground, are our aversion. Too often they are 
damp, almost always ill-ventilated. If city houses must have 
them, they should rank, and generally do rank in the class of 
necessary evils. The man's sanity might almost be doubted 
who should put a basement to his house in the country. But 
it often happens that the form of surface and nature of the 
ground, are such as allow the two sides or ends of a house to be 
of different depths, thus admitting entrance from without, on 
two floors. In some families, such a division of the house 
divides also its duties and labors to great advantage. To give 
such a story its highest value and avoid the needless use of 
stairs, it should contain all the rooms and appliances needed for 
the labor of the household. The apartments should be en- 
tirely above ground, well lighted and ventilated. The ground 
outside should be lower than the floor, and should descend from 
the house, not only for drainage, but to prevent the settling 
within of the denser gases and vapors. The floor should be 
elevated somewhat above the ground, and the side walls should 
be " furred off" with wooden strips to which the laths are to be 
nailed, thus forming an air-chamber between the outside stone 
and the inside plastering. The cellar, back of the rooms, should 
be separated from them by an air-tight partition, and well 
ventilated, to prevent the intrusion into the house of its damp 
or impure air. A due regard to health demands the use of 
every precaution to secure dryness, to retain warmth, and to 






90 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

exclude those insidious vapors, charged with disease and death, 
which are wont to gather in dark and low places. 

Such a story should be a real story, not a low, mean, back 
place, but a respectable portion of the house. Let the door be 
screened if necessary, and let the whole be made pleasing by the 
judicious disposition of flower and vine, and shrub and tree. 
Houses thus built cannot easily be regular in form and arrange- 
ment. Nor is it desirable that they should be. In placing 
such a structure, the surface, rather than boundary of the 
ground, should be consulted. The house must be fitted to 
the declivity, even though it do not conform exactly to the 
street. 

DESIGN NO. XIII. 

This design is intended for a situation higher than the road 
on which it fronts. Entering at the upper level by a gallery on 
the side, or by an outside flight of stairs from the front, we 
come first to a large hall, which may be furnished as a sitting- 
room, or used, on occasion, as an eating-room. This apartment 
may be economically warmed by a drum connected with a stove 
in the room below. The stairs to the upper floor start from 
this hall near the outer door, and under them is the basement 
flight, inclosed, with a door at the top. The large bedroom 
beyond the stairs is provided with a fireplace for use in case 
of sickness. Connected with these rooms is a smaller bed- 
room and a good sized parlor. Every apartment on this floor 
has a prospect in two directions. 



DESIGN, NO. XIII. 




SWK?^: 



PRINCIPAL FLOOE PLAN. 




i 



HILL-SIDE COTTAGES. 



91 



The under story has a large kitchen and a living-room. 

From the latter, stairs lead to 
the main floor. The living- 
room is to be warmed by a 
stove, the flue of which passes 
under the stairs. There are 
two cellars which open from 
the kitchen. In these may 
be made such pantries as are 
needed. Make sure of an air- 
space between the plastering 




BASEMENT PLAN. 



and outer wall, and make small cellar windows in the rear. 

The upper floor has two large bedrooms, seven feet high at 
the*side, and four large closets, which are two and a half feet 

high at the walls. This is ow- 
ing to the low inclination of the 
roof. An additional closet may 
be made opposite the head of 
the stairs. 

This house, with little regu- 
larity of detail, has, we trust, 
nothing distorted or unequal in 
its aspect. It is designed for a 
situation where uniformity would involve a sacrifice of utility. 
Its principal feature is the verandah or gallery covered by the 
projecting roof, and supported by the open framework. This 
is at once bold and simple, suggestive of summer enjoyment and 
of winter protection. 

In its main characteristics this house resembles the Swiss 
cottage. Circumstances similar to those which make this style 




UPPER FLOOK PLAN. 



92 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

proper on the Alpine slopes often exist among us, and it is for 
some such position that the design is intended. It would suit 
well the southern side of some steep and rugged hill, and will 
look all the better if the grounds around and below it are left 
with their natural inequalities, and not tortured into terraces 
or graded into tameness. 

The construction should be simple and substantial. The 
lower story of rough stone, the rest of wood, and the sides 
boarded vertically. The framework of the galleries and the 
eaves should be solid timber, unornamented, and the railings 
should be strong and plain rather than nice. Some native 
grape-vine, if the climate allow, might in a few years be 
made to spread its shade and fruit over the timbers of the 
gallery. # 

The roof, it will be seen, though not of the steepest pitch, 
is still the most prominent feature. Such it ought to be. 
Especially may this be said of all domestic architecture. In 
houses which are low and unadorned, the effect may be obtained 
with a slight elevation above, and a moderate projection beyond 
the walls. Higher houses require higher roofs. Whatever 
may be said in favor of the flat roofs on which people sit and 
sleep in torrid lands, no such reason holds in our cold and 
showery climes. Here, economy, durability, protection, conve- 
nience, comfort, and looks, all petition for a good degree of 
height and steepness in the roof. In regard to this very im- 
portant point, we ask the attention of the reader to the follow- 
ing remarks of Kuskin. 

" The very soul of the cottage — the essence and meaning of 
it — are in its roof; it is that mainly wherein conists its shelter ; 
that wherein it differs most completely from a cleft in rocks or 



HILL-SIDE COTTAGES. 93 

bower in woods. It is in its thick impenetrable coverlid of 
close thatch, that its whole heart and hospitality are con- 
centrated. 

" Consider the difference, in sound, of the expressions c be- 
neath my roof and c within my walls/ Consider whether you 
would be best sheltered, in a shed, with a stout roof sustained 
on corner posts, or in an inclosure of four walls without a roof 
at all, — and you will quickly see how important a part of the 
cottage the roof must always be to the mind as well as to the 
eye, and how from seeing it, the greatest part of our pleasure 
must continually arise. 

" Now do you suppose that which is so all-important in a 
cottage can be of small importance in your own dwelling-house ? 
Do you think that by any splendor of architecture — any height 
of stories — you can atone for the loss of the aspect of the roof ? 
It is vain to say you take the roof for granted. You may as 
well say you take a man's kindness for granted, though he 
neither looks nor speaks kindly. You may know him to be 
kind in reality, but you will not like him so well as if he spoke 
and looked kindly also. And whatever external splendor you 
may give your houses, you will always feel there is something 
wanting, unless you see their roofs plainly. And this espe- 
cially in the North. In Southern architecture the roof is of far 
less importance ; but here the soul of domestic building is in 
the largeness and conspicuousness of the protection against the 
ponderous snow and driving sleet. You may make the facade 
of the square pile, if the roof be not seen, as handsome as you 
please, you may cover it with decoration — but there will always 
be a heartlessness about it, which you will not know how to 
conquer ; above all, a perpetual difficulty in finishing the wall 




94 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

at top, which will require all kinds of strange inventions in 
parapets and pinnacles for its decoration, and yet will never 
look right. 

" Now I need not tell you that, as it is desirable, for the 
sake of the effect upon the mind, that the roof should be visible, 
so the best and most natural form of roof in the North is that 
which will render it most visible, namely, the steep gable ; 
the best and most natural, I say, because this form not only 
throws off snow and rain most completely, and dries fastest, 
but obtains the greatest interior space within walls of a given 
height, removes the heat of the sun most effectually from the 
upper rooms, and affords most space for ventilation." * 

The principal story of this house is 9 feet high — Basement, 
8 feet. Estimated cost, exclusive of material for basement 
walls, $1,300. 

DESIGN NO. XIV. 

Our second hill-side plan is meant for a position below the 
road. The principal front is therefore on the higher side. 
Such a situation has usually less of descent and abruptness 
than those to which the former design is suited. Gentle swells 
by some valley side, or on the outer margin of a plain, often 
furnish sites well adapted to this plan. To make it harmonize 
with such a spot it is broader and lower than the former house. 
In other respects they are so far similar that the remarks just 
made in relation to balconies, verandahs, brackets, walls, screens, 
vines, etc., may be applied equally to this. 

* Lectures on Architecture, &o London, 1854, pp. 34, 35, 36. 



DESIGN, NO. XlY. 




PHINCIPAL FLOOK PLAN. 




#• 



HILL-SIDE COTTAGES. 



95 



The internal arrangement, as shown by the plans, needs but 
little explanation. The windows opening on the verandah and 
on the small balcony at the end, are long and are hung on hinges. 
The basement has a fuel cellar, f, a vegetable cellar, v, c, a 
closet, c, and the important rooms a 
L, e, and k. In the attic plan there 
are four bedrooms and as many 
closets. These rooms are ten feet 
high in the highest part, and but 
two feet and nine inches at the a 
side ; a result which is due to the 
lower pitched roof. The stairs are 
of a compact form and occupy but 
little space. A reference to the 
section of Design No. 6 on page 80 ° 
will show the relation of the upper 
stairs to the roof, and the necessity of some such arrangement 
as this. The position of the upper flight 
determines that of the lower, and makes 
necessary the recess in the stone wall as 
shown by the basement plan. Where 
so close a calculation is required, as in 
this case, a small alteration in one part of 
a staircase without a corresponding change 
in some other, may just spoil the whole 
thing. Indeed few changes in a plan 
are safe, or likely to be successful, unless 
they are considered with minute and 
judicious reference to their bearing on 











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K wL 




LO X 14 6 [_]_ 
1 


M~i\ 1 


Jl 

L.R 
t2 X 14 


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BASEMENT PLAN. 




ATTIO PLAN. 



every other part ; and this is about equal to original planning 



96 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

— a thing more easily talked of than done. This point has 
been alluded to already, but it is so important that we venture 
to give line upon line. 

The position, on the whole, most eligible for this house is one 
in which its shaded side should face the west, and its parlor 
windows look out upon the south. The road might wind round 
its southern end, with a sufficient space between for shrubbery 
and lawn, while the garden might stretch down toward the 
vale. 

Upright boarding is the proper covering for the sides of 
this building, though clapboards might be used, if specially 
preferred. But there are some objections to this once almost 
universal mode of covering wooden walls, and we may as well 
state them here. 

In the first place, clapboards form a sort of horizontal 
ruling, and it is a well-known effect of such ruling that it 
shortens and flattens, to the eye, the surfaces on which it is 
laid. Now this result is directly the reverse of what is often 
intended, and should still oftener be aimed at, in architectural 
designs. 

The second objection is connected with questions of light 
and shade. The strength and character of a building depend 
almost wholly on the shadows which are thrown upon its surface 
by projecting members. A structure without projections has no 
character at all. It is blank and meaningless, just as a human 
face would be without lips and nose and eyebrows. The hori- 
zontal ruling of the clapboards being itself a species of shading, 
not unlike the parallel lines of an engraving, cannot but 
weaken the power of the other shadows, — thus impairing, if not 



HILL-SIDE COTTAGES. 97 

neutralizing, this part of the effect intended by projecting 
eaves, canopies, and sills. 

A third objection to clapboards rests on the fact, that when 
they are used, the trimmings are first attached and the boards 
then fitted to them. This increases the expense, as well as the 
chances of imperfect work. The reverse happens with plain 
boarding. The first cost of thin clapboards is about the same 
as that of thick upright boarding without battens. In dura- 
bility and warmth the former is decidedly inferior. 

To balance all this the clapboard possesses one advantage, 
and that is the power derived from old habits and early associa- 
tions. But this power is growing weaker every day. 

Height of basement, 7 feet. Main story, 8 feet 6 inches. 
Cost, as in the last design, $1,375. 
7 



CHAPTER XI. 

HOUSES OF TWO ST OKIES. 

"IT ANY will prefer the two-story house to any that can be de- 
-^*- vised in the style to which we have thus far confined our- 
selves. We may well rejoice that there is so much diversity in 
the tastes and opinions of mankind, and that this is constitu- 
tional. It would be a very uninteresting world if the men of it 
could, by any means, be brought to build, or to think, just 
alike. 

But the two-story dwelling has important advantages, 
which make it the best form for a great majority of village 
houses. The choice between this and a lower style of building 
should rest on clear grounds. There must be a certain relation 
between the breadth and the height of a building to give it a 
satisfactory look of stability. To effect this, the house must 
cover more ground, and the expense is thus carried beyond the 
reach of many. We do, indeed, see many high thin houses, and 
miserable spectacles they are. Sometimes we behold one of 
respectable proportions, but with a meanly finished exterior, — 
the resources of the builder not having been sufficient to give 
him a large house, and a good one too. In such cases, we 
think it would be well to compromise. 

While the low cottage seems modest and retiring, the high, 



DESIGN, NO. XV. 



9*S*=» T=» 




^fmm*0^ ' - IplPPB 



FIRST STOET PLAN. 




V^ 



HOUSES OF TWO STORIES. 99 

square built house, has a more forward and 'assured look. 
When houses, or men, boldly claim our regards, we have a right 
to expect that they will give proof of their worth. Such struc- 
tures clearly need a nice finish, and more of ornament, than 
those of a less ambitious expression. Look, for example, at 
Design No. 3. Its rude construction, and simple details, harmo- 
nize with the structure, and look well. Put them on a high, 
conspicuous building, and they would strike the eye as out of 
place, and mean. 

A large house is apt to look blank, cheerless, unsupported, 
if built without wings, porticoes, or some projecting feature. 
These, however, if elegant and appropriate, are costly. The 
designs already presented are of low construction, to bring them 
within the limits of excellence and cost which we have pre- 
scribed for ourselves. The fifteenth and sixteenth designs, 
which follow, are in style and cost as moderate as we deem con- 
sistent with the two-story form. Larger houses might, indeed, 
be put up for the same cost, but only by the sacrifice, to mere 
space, of other and better qualities. Such houses, if needed, 
can be built by any carpenter. 

DESIGN NO. XV. 

The forms of building that prevail in cities are often copied, 
or imitated, in the villages which grow up around them. This 
is natural, though very often unwise. In such places, houses, 
essentially like the one before us, are very common. In some 
sense, it may be regarded as a detached member from a city 
block. We have, however, modified it in some respects. 

The kitchen, for instance, has been lifted above ground into 



100 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

the light, and* the free air. Standing out, as it does, it helps 
to neutralize the disproportionate height of the main building. 
The chimneys which, in the city model, stood by the side wall, 
are placed next to the hall. This leaves space for windows, 
economizes warmth, and improves the external appearance, by 
bringing out their tops nearer the roof centre. The front parlor 
has a bay-window. The beauty and value of this feature is 
beginning to be known among us. Many costly houses exhibit 
it. But it needs not, and must not, be monopolized by the 
wealthy. Eead what Lord Bacon said more than two centuries 
ago : " For inbowed windows, I hold them of good use, * * * 
for they be pretty retiring places for conference/' And Kuskin 
thus to the good people of Edinburgh : " You surely must all 
of you feel and admit the delightfulness of a bow window. I 
can hardly fancy a room can be perfect without one. Now you 
have nothing to do but to resolve that ever}^ one of your princi- 
pal rooms shall have a bow window, either large or small/' 
And so, too, Henry Ward Beecher, to the countless readers of 
the Star Papers : "Our common, small, frequent windows in 
country dwellings are contemptible. We ]ove rather the gene- 
rous old English windows, large as the whole side of a room, 
many-angled, or circular ; but of whatever shape, they should 
be recessed- — glorious nooks of light, the very antitheses of those 
shady coverts which we search out in forests, in hot summer 
days. These little chambers of light into which a group may 
gather, and be both in doors and out of doors at the same 
time ; where in storms, or in winter, we may have full access to 
the elements without chill, wet, or exposure — these are the 
glory of a dwelling." 

The frame of this window is carried up to the roof, forming 



HOUSES OF TWO STOEIES. 



101 



an open balcony in the second story, which communicates with 
the front chamber. This gives not only a marked feature to the 
house, but a delightful summer seat. 

Back of the main hall there may be an open porch, covered 
by the roof of a rear building. This should be low and unobtru- 
sive, but well finished. Under the same roof there may be a 
kitchen pantry. The front entrance is protected by a canopy, in 
shape adapted to the general style of the house. The main roof 
is " hipped, " that is, it slopes back on every side. A gable is 
avoided, as it would increase a height already somewhat exces- 
sive. Its lowness is partially relieved by a break in the outline, — 
the part of the roof near the walls being steeper than the rest. 

We have shunned what we deem a 
gross, though very common error in such 
houses — a large showy cornice in front, 
while the other sides are left entirely 
naked. Ours is an honest cornice of real 
wood ; it is simple and plain, and goes 
all round. Vertical lines in the covering 
would increase the apparent height. It 
should therefore be clapboarded, or bet- 
ter still, planked horizontally with an 
even surface, showing no joints. 

The chimneys are of brick through- 
out, covered at the top with cement. The posts of the balcony 
are of solid timber. The casings of corners and windows are 
plank, and these, if the sides are clapboarded, should be two 
inches thick. 

The foundation walls, above ground, are smoothly laid, whe- 
ther of stone or brick, projecting, as may be seen, beyond the su- 




SECOND FLOOR PLAN. 



102 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



perstructure, and covered by a wooden base or water-table, which 
terminates 'and finishes the side covering. The roof is of tin, laid 
on an even surface. A gutter is formed in the cornice, which 
carries the rain water to leader pipes in the rear. 

Height of first story, 9 feet. Second story, 8 feet 6 inches. 
Cost $1,250. 



DESIGN NO. XVI. 

In exterior form and feature this design has more claim to origi- 
nality. The rooms, in their general arrangement, are like those 
of No. 11. There are two large bays on the front, one in the 
parlor and the other in the hall. The main entrance is at the 
side of the latter. This is from a porch, partly inclosed by these 
projections and covered by an overhanging roof. 

There are four good chambers on the second floor. Of these 
three have clothes-presses attached. The front windows of this 

story are double, — two in one. This 
makes the rooms more valuable, while 
it gives dignity to the exterior. Many 
house fronts are spoiled by having too 
many windows. The wall-veil has 
no breadth or dignity, and the hous^e 
becomes a large lantern. 

The roof is low and has a bold 
cornice. The back verandah is plain 
with solid posts and visible frame- 
work. There should be a rear building, the roofs joining. In 
winter, the middle part of the verandah may be inclosed, making 
an entry to the kitchen and wood-room. 




m 



11X12 

I i i I 

i 

I 10 X 



SECOND FLOOR PLAN. 



DESIGN, NO. XVI. 




FIRST STOKY PLAN. 




HOUSES OF TWO STOKIES. 103 

In its general construction and its covering this house is like 
its predecessor. Its regular form makes it suitable for a spot 
where it may be seen from several points. The lot on which it is 
to stand should be open and smooth, rather above than below the 
grounds about it. 

Height of each story, 9 feet. Cost, $1,200. 

DESIGN NO. XVII. 

[See Frontispiece.] 

A brick house, thirty-three feet square, and finished in the 
style of this design, can hardly be called a cottage. It is meant 
to show how the principles which give to humble dwellings a pe- 
culiar character, may find application and development in more 
important structures. 

It might be deemed the residence of some individual, happy 
in his circumstances, temper, and tastes ; of one who knows how 
to prize the neatness and quiet and comfort of such a home, and 
who can find in its embellishment a constant pleasure. 

The house occupies a level site. Shade trees stand near but 
do not overshadow it. A deep verandah extends across the front, 
having in the centre an entrance porch, less deep. The parlor is 
on the left. Observe its arrangement. Between the doors a 
piano may stand. On the opposite side is a pleasant bay-window. 
A cheerful fireplace faces the front windows. Without being 
stiff or formal, the room is regular, excepting the door at the 
corner. This is necessary for communication with the adjoining 
apartment, which may serve as a library and family sitting-room. 
There is, on the opposite side of the house a bedroom, entered 
from the back hall. The kitchen, with its pantry and other con- 



104 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 






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veniences, occupies the remaining corner. The stairs have a 
black walnut rail. Beneath them is the passage to the cellar. 

The upper floor has 
four bedrooms with closets, 
and a bath-room, the win- 
dow of which opens on 
the front balcony. 

The interior finish is 
designed to show more 
work than any of the 
others. The walls are of 
brick, furred off on the in- 
side with wooden strips to 
receive the lathing. The 
form and relative size of 
the cornice brackets are 
shown by the cut. The 
bay window and porch are of brick. The back verandah is plain, 
the front one more elaborate. The walls and exterior wood- work are 
painted in colors differing slightly, that there may seem to be no 
attempt to pass off either material for any thing but what it is. 
Each chimney shaft carries four flues, made round and 
smooth by building them against wooden cylinders, which are 
raised as the work proceeds. The chimney top may be of cut 
stone, or cast iron, as one or the other can be most easily pro- 
cured. This very noticeable feature of every dwelling house is 
too often neglected. There are thousands of buildings otherwise 
ambitious and costly, which are meanly surmounted by plain 
straight heaps of bricks — mere vulgar smoke-pipes. To give it 



SECOND STORY PLAN. 



HOUSES OF TWO STOKIES. 105 

the aspect of stability, the chimney top should have a base where 
it leaves the roof, and its upper termination should be properly 
ornamented. These high conspicuous points should be made to 
bui-inohize with the rest of the structure and to enhance the 
general effect. They can and they should add grace and dignity 
to the whole. 

The window openings are slightly arched. They have no 
projecting caps, but rely for character on the depth of the jambs. 
In brick and stone work, strength and good looks alike demand 
the arch. In wood the case is very different. 

This roof is covered with tin, the slope being too slight for 
shingles. 

Height of first story, 9 feet. Second story, 8 feet. Cost, 
$1,875. 



CHAPTEE XII. 



FARM-HOUSES. 



MANY of our smaller villages are inhabited mostly by farm- 
ers. In others, they are found but here and there, or 
only perhaps on the outskirts of the busy hamlet. Such hus- 
bandmen are not usually of the larger class. Their homes are 
subject, in some degree, to village influences, and to limitations, 
from which the isolated and independent farm-house of the 
open country is exempt. As such, they come within the range 
of our design. Though the plans given in this chapter are 
adapted to the village, and its vicinity, it is believed that they 
will be found not unsuited to the circumstances and wants of 
many farmers differently situated. We ask attention to their 
general character and special features. 

DESIGN NO. XVIII. 

The heart of a farm-house is the kitchen. Around this, all 
other things must range themselves. The farm has operations 
and necessities unknown to ordinary households. The demands 
of hungry laborers must be met promptly and abundantly. 
These, in busy seasons, come in extra numbers, and are to be 



DESIGN, NO. XVIII. 




FIRST STORY PLAN. 





FAKM-HOUSES. 107 



provided for in the same kitchen where the ordinary work of the 
family is done. Besides these, and other labors, incident to 
farm life, which must often be attended to here, it is usually 
the eating and sitting room of the household. This multiplica- 
tion of uses, the good housewife, however she may wish it, can sel- 
dom avoid. The number and pressure of her duties, and the small 
force which she can command for their performance, demands 
the utmost concentration possible. Accordingly, our kitchen is 
of generous dimensions. The light enters on two of its sides. 
There is a large fireplace, which can hold a stove, or range, if 
desired. The room has immediate connection with every part 
of the house. Should the house front the west (which is desir- 
able), this room will be in the south-eastern corner. Such an 
arrangement makes it light and cheerful in the morning, when 
the work is mostly done, and secures warmth and pleasantness 
during the winter months. The free circulation of air which is 
secured by the position of the outside doors will prevent it from 
being oppressively warm in summer. 

In the north-east, and therefore coldest corner of the house, 
is a large buttery, or store-room, p, connected with the kitchen. 
Out of this opens a milk-room, d, of good size, with walls of 
stone. The scullery, or wash-room, s, also leads directly from 
the kitchen, and has a chimney, with which a boiler, or summer 
stove, may be connected, if desirable. The outside door of this 
room opens on a verandah formed by a projection of the roof, 
beyond the walls of the rear building. Should it be deemed 
expedient, this additional structure may be extended of the 
same width, as shown, and without break in the roof, until it 
connects with the barn. Such an arrangement will furnish a 
carriage-house, wood-room, tool-house, &c. The verandah, 



108 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

being carried the whole length, provides a dry and neat passage 
way. Its posts are excellent supports for grape-vines. 

It will also be seen that the kitchen connects with a back 
staircase, which leads to chambers for the hired men, and has 
cellar stairs beneath ; and that besides opening into the parlor, 
and front hall, it communicates with a bedroom. The last- 
named apartment can be conveniently used in cases of sickness. 
The front stairs are open, provided with a railing, and have a 
closet below for hats and coats. 

The parlor, though only second in size, is a pleasant room, 
nearly regular in its arrangement. There are many families, 
living in isolated farm-houses, who seldom see, or wish to see 
company. To them a parlor and front door are but a useless 
expense and trouble. A room that is rarely opened or aired is 
scarcely ever fit to stay in. In denser neighborhoods, the case 
is different. The agricultural family of the village is liable to 
social calls, and their occasions can usually be best met by 
uniting in one the parlor and sitting-room. Such is our arrange- 
ment here, and we have aimed to make this apartment the 
most agreeable one in the house. The front door is meant to 
be opened, and used daily, and the verandah is for family 
enjoyment. 

Should any occasion bring together in this house a large 
number of persons, the connection between hall, parlor, kitchen, 
and bedroom, will permit them all to be occupied. 

The second floor affords &ve chambers. These are five feet 
high at the walls, and below the ceiling eight and a half feet. 
The hall is so divided that two of the chambers connect with 
the back stairs, and the other three with the front flight. If 
preferred, the door of the central rear chamber may be at the 



FARM-HOUSES. 



109 



left hand corner, and thus open into the back hall. This room, 
and that which adjoins it on the right, are lighted by dormer- 
windows, like that seen in the engraving. Each room has its 
closet, and a larger one, 
b c, opens from the 
front hall. There is 
also an inclosed ladder 
i o the roof. Three of 
the chambers are pro- 
vided with smoke flues. 
The supply of bedrooms 
will not be thought too 
large by those who 
know the usual wants 
of such families. 

The well-rendered 
view in the cut, makes 
unnecessary a minute 
description of the ex- 
terior. The walls are 
of rough, broken stone, 
such as many farms readily supply, laid up with all convenient 
smoothness, but with no outside plastering. The apertures are 
slightly arched. The trimmings, being almost necessarily of 
wood, are so formed and disposed as to show their irue nature. 
The posts of the verandah are solid and heavy. The cornice 
has a framing which is simple, solid, and unique. The sides 
and gables of the dormer-windows are battened. They would be 
perhaps better protected, and would look equally well, if covered 
by shingles, chamfered at the corners. 




SECOND FLOOB PLAN. 



110 VILLAGE -AND FARM COTTAGES. 

The expression of this house is consistent with the employ- 
ment and character (presumed to be alike substantial) of those 
who are to inhabit it. It is solid, dignified, comfortable, and 
individualized. 

The first story is 9 feet high. The second from 5 feet to 8 
feet 8 inches. 

The cost of the structure would depend very much on the 
facility of obtaining good stone and lime. Making no calcula- 
tion for stone, or cartage, and estimated on the basis named in 
the note, on page 72, it would be $1,900. 

DESIGN NO. XIX. 

The convenience of household operations is here combined 
with a degree of elegance in the better apartments. The 
kitchen is connected with the front entrance hall, and also with 
a short entry, p, leading to a side door, more accessible. In 
this plan, some of the heavier housework is transferred from the 
kitchen to other places. This arrangement relieves the apart- 
ment, and makes it more fit to be a dining and a living room. 
Its form, dimensions, and position, all favor the same ends. 
With two windows at each end, it can always secure both air 
and light. The fireplace — that all-important feature of a 
kitchen — is centrally posted on one side. It is well furnished 
with closets. If regularity and symmetry are pleasing, this 
room must satisfy the most mathematical eye. 

Across the entry, p, is the wash-room, containing an oven 
and a boiler. From this, a rear door opens into a wood-room. 
A pantry on the right hand, opening from the kitchen, contains 
a pump, a sink, and a set of shelves, inclosed. This also leads 



DESIGN, NO. XIX. 



mi £■& 




FAKM-HOUSES. 



Ill 



to a larger pantry beyond. The back stairs are ascended from 
the side entry, and the cellar-way is beneath them. A central 
hall, containing a straight, open staircase, divides the front por- 
tion of the house. On one side is a good-sized parlor ; on the 
other, a snug little sitting-room, and a bedroom of about the 
same dimensions. All these rooms have fireplaces, — those of 
the last two being in the corners. 

In the rear part 
of the second floor 
are two large bed- 
rooms, of irregular 
shape, each having a 
closet ; and there is 
also a store-room. Of 
these rooms, one is 
lighted by windows 
in the rear gable, 
the other by a dor- 
mer over the side 
verandah, not shown 
in the cut. 

Above the front 
entrance there is a 
bedroom, with walls 
five feet, and ceiling 
nine feet high. The 
chambers on each side are of equal size, and alike, though 
somewhat peculiar in form. A space next the walls is inclosed 
for closet room, so that no part of these chambers is less than 
six feet high, while they are nine feet in the central portion. 




SECOND FLOOR PLAN. 



112 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

The hall may receive light through glass over the door of the 
front bedroom. 

This is one of the plans whose features can be transposed. 
That is, the right-hand rooms, in front, or in rear, or in both, 
may be put on the left, and vice versa. The side verandah 
may be extended to the wood-room. 

The construction is meant to be similar to the design last 
given, but ruder somewhat. Unless stone, which will do with- 
out much cutting, can be easily obtained, the lintels of the 
windows, together with the supports of the projecting gables 
and cornice, are designed to be of solid oak timber, built into 
the walls. The gables themselves may be either battened or 
shingled. In the latter case, much is gained in looks by cut- 
ting off the corners of the shingles, but it costs a little more. 

The object of this house cannot easily be misapprehended. 
It tells the whole story in its own honest face. 

Height of first story, front part, 9 feet ; rear, 8 feet 6 
inches. Cost, estimated as in the last, $2,700. 

DESIGN NO XX. 

This, in some respects, approaches more nearly than the 
others, a type of houses often seen. Its second story, ^at 
the lowest part, is nearly as high as many that are finished 
with flat ceilings. It is frank and confident, but still modest, 
snug, and quiet, as becomes a farm-house. This subdued ex- 
pression may be ascribed to the descending direction of its 
principal lines, — to the long declivity of the main roof, which 
extends over the verandah, and gives the aspect of a lean-to, — 
to the meek-looking dormer, which peeps out from the centre, 



DESIGN, NO. XX. 




FARM-HOUSES. 



113 



— to the far projecting eaves, which reduce the apparent height 
of the side walls, — and to the character of the chimney-tops. 
Its diversified form (only a part of which is seen in the engrav- 
ing) will make it a pleasing object from whatever point it is 
viewed, and will give it a new aspect with every turn. 

A single glance at the cut shows this house to be of wood. 
The windows are of the form most common, trimmed with a 
casing and band, which project far enough to cast an outline 
of shadow. The cornice is neat and substantial. The brackets 
are simple and strong, — meant for support in reality, as well as 
in appearance. The solid verandah posts are chamfered, with 
neat brackets at the top. 




SECOND FLOOR PLAN 



In its external finish, this house makes no show of rusticity. 
It belongs evidently, to a region where saw-mills and planing- 
8 



114 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

machines, and good workmen, are found. It would be no un- 
suitable companion for our best village edifices. 

Its interior arrangements also sbow an adaptation to tbe 
habits and conditions of village life. Tbe front ball communi- 
cates on one side with a sitting-room, and on tbe other with a 
parlor, and by tbe principal staircase with the upper floor. 
Back of these stairs is a lobby" connecting the parlor with the 
kitchen, and yet separating them. The back stairs rise from 
this spot, and under them, opening from the back hall, are 
those to the cellar. A pantry, with interior closet, opens from 
the kitchen. There is a closet under the front stairs, and the 
bedroom has one. The facility of communication between all 
the rooms will not fail to be noticed. 

These apartments comprise the first floor of the main 
building, and in themselves would furnish suitable and sufficient 
accommodation for almost any village family. The additional 
room required by the farm economy is provided for by a one- 
story extension. Here, compactly and conveniently arranged, 
are the back-kitchen, s., with chimney, and large boiler ; the 
dairy, d., surrounded by hollow walls, for the preservation of an 
even temperature ; a tool-room, t. r., a wood- room, etc. The 
second story has five sleeping rooms, four of which are provided 
with smoke flues. There is also a good supply of closets. The 
smallest of the bedrooms is lighted by a dormer window in the 
rear roof. All of these rooms may be entered from the upper 
back hall, and two of them also from the landing of the front 
stairs. 

Height of first story, 9 feet. Height of second story, from 
5 feet to 8 feet 6 inches. Cost, $2,450. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

DOUBLE COTTAGES. 

IN cities and villages, two or more families often live in the 
same house. Numerous and grave objections to this practice 
readily suggest themselves. To possess the best, the true quali- 
ties of a home, each tenement must have its own exclusive 
grounds, entrance, passages, and stairs, as well as its individual 
rooms. But where space is limited, and land is dear, and dwell- 
ings are brought close together, it is sometimes advantageous to 
make two distinct habitations under one roof. 

When this course is pursued, there is a wider interval between 
the buildings, than if each house should stand detached on the 
centre of its own lot. This not only favors the general appear- 
ance of the street, but facilitates a tasteful improvement of the 
ground. 

As this arrangement saves not only a part of the material, 
but all the exterior covering and finish of two entire walls, it is 
decidedly promotive of economy. As three of the sides are still 
open to the light and air, the convenience and comfort of the 
house may be nearly as great as though the tenement stood 
singly. Sometimes the necessity of having a blank side, or some 
other unfortunate condition of the building ground may give to 



116 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

this mode a decided preference. In chapter fourth, we have 
already spoken favorably of these erections, as suited to the neces- 
sities of a manufacturing place, and as a desirable compromise 
between the costlier single tenements and the more economical, 
but odious block of continuous houses. 

In each of the following designs the two houses are precisely 
alike, constituting in their union an edifice of UDiform appearance. 
We have not attempted by any artifice of construction, to conceal 
the fact that there are two families here. As a matter of truth, 
of taste, and of convenience, we think it better that the fact 
should appear. 

Each house should have its own inclosed back yard and vege- 
table garden. But in front the ground can be more easily and 
more highly adorned, if the yards are thrown together. If there 
be a separation, it should be made by something slight, as a fence 
of chain or wire. 

DESIGN NO. XXI. 

The body of this building is nearly square. A lean-to is car- 
ried round three of its sides. In parts this is left open and forms 
verandahs, v v. In the inclosed portion we have the entries, 
E E, and the pantries, s s, adjoining, and the sculleries, with 
chimneys, in the rear corners. The arrangement of each house is 
distinctly seen in the plan. The chief entrance is through the 
side entry, from which point rise the stairs. The cellar stairs are 
under them and lead from the kitchen. The closet behind the 
stairs may be made to open from either parlor or kitchen. 

There are three chambers on the second floor of each house, 
well provided with closets. If thought best, the space in the 



DESIGN, NO. XXI. 




FIEST STOEY PLAN. 




DESIGN, NO. XXII. 




FIRST STORY PLAN. 



P 






I B x 15 



,Ja 



'T 



H 

e k 15 









DOUBLE COTTAGES. 



117 



rear of the stairs may be made into one room like that in front. 
Unless this be done, the back fireplace would probably be 
needless. 



/b.r\I \/ B.B | 
8 * II I / \ I- 5 * 7 - 5 




3.X.5 |3> 3.6 



, BiE 



BECOND FLOOR PL4.N. 



Plainness if not severity marks the exterior. Its sides are 
clapboarded. Its details are solid, but neither elaborate nor 
costly. Its principal features are the broad, square bay-windows 
in front, which being continued up, form the window gables 
above. These add pleasantness to the house both within and 
without. 

Height of first story, 8 feet 6 inches. Second story, 4 feet to 
8 feet 6 inches. Cost, $2,150. 

DESIGN NO. XXII. 



This building in its general character is similar to the pre- 
ceding, but somewhat superior to. it, as having a larger hall, 



118 



VILLAGE AND FAEM COTTAGES. 



better stairways, more variety in form of wall and roof, and 
greater richness of outside decoration. 

Nothing in the plan of the first floor needs explanation. 
The back steps, s, are covered by an open porch, as in Design 
No. 2. 

Each house has four chambers. The small one in the rear 



B.R 
II. s x , l+.i 



B.R 
.0 < 14.1 



■ 



H 

6 x 9,LL 



B .R 
B x 12 



J 



B.R B.R 

x 10.3 I (0.6 X 14-. 



H 
8X9 



— j=m,b x 9 



B.R 
3x12 



^ 



SECOND FLOOR PLAN. 



is lighted by a dormer window similar to that in front, though 
plainer. The closet in the front chamber is raised to give head- 
room for the stairs. The windows of the front gable are arched, 
from the necessities of their position, but the variety is not ira- 
pleasing. 

Height of stories, as in the last. Cost, $1,950. 

DESIGN NO. XXIII. 



This is a larger structure, having three rooms on the first 
floor of the main house. It may be constructed of rough stone, 



DESIGN, NO. XXIII. 






FIEST STOEY PLAN. 




DOUBLE COTTAGES. 



119 



or of brick. The engraving supposes the former. By using 
bricks, the thickness of the wall would be reduced four inches, 
and the rooms would be so far enlarged. The walls, in either 
case, must be furred on the inside. The window jambs and 
arches are of brick, projecting beyond the wall. In this de- 
sign, and only in this one, we have introduced the verge-board. 
The feature was originally used in Gothic cottages for the pro- 
tection of a plaster wall, or for the concealment of imperfect 
work beneath the roof. It was made of heavy oak timber, and 
outlasted often the walls themselves. The verge-boards of our 
day are a very different affair. Every body has seen them. 
Hundreds of cottage gables display the flimsy, steam-sawn, 
thin board appendages to which we allude. In fact they have 
become so common, make often so pretentious a display, and are 
so notoriously unsubstantial, cut-paper-like, and perishable, 
that we feel some reluctance to use the feature, even when 




SECOND FLOOR PLAN. 



rightly made and appropriately placed. Such details, when 
employed, should be heavy enough at least to seem serviceable. 



120 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



In the construction of architectural ornament, so far as it is 
meant to look like the result of hard work, — the toil more or 
less skillful of human hands — we believe that resort should 
seldom if ever be had to labor-saving processes. This would 
dispense with much ambitious stuff which comes now from the 
saw-mill and the furnace. But it is better, surely, to do with- 
out the decorations, than in them to violate truth and honesty 
and right principles of art. The verge-board before us is of 
thick plank, and the cutting aims at simplicity and grace rather 
than elaborateness. 

The interior accommodations of these houses are some- 
what in advance of the last. Though more clearly marked as 

two distinct houses, they are, 
through the proximity of the 
front doors, really more social. 
The rear windows of the second 
story are dormers like those of 
the last design. The rear door 
opens on a back porch leading 
to a rear building, the arrange- 
ment of which is shown in a 
plan by itself. This is of wood, 
one story high, vertically boarded 
and battened. 




PLAN OF REAR BUILDING 



Height of first story, 9 feet 6 inches. Second story, 4 feet to 
8 feet 6 inches. Cost, if built of brick,— main building, $2,525 ; 
rear building, $475. 



DESIGN, NO. XXIV. 




FIRST STORY PLAN. 




DOUBLE COTTAGES. 121 



DESIGN NO. XXIV. 



The objection, already mentioned, to quite small houses of 
two stories, on the score of looks and proportion, is obviated 
when they are built in pairs. A suitable relation of breadth to 
height is thus obtained, and a style of exterior may be adopted 
conformable to the general outline. The design here presented 
is an example of this sort. The main building is nearly square, 
divided through the centre, and containing, in each portion, 
two rooms, connected by broad doors. These are made in two 
parts, and may be hung so as to swing back, when opened, 
against the closet and cellar doors, — or they may slide into the 
partitions. The side wings, one story high, contain each a 
bedroom, and a front and rear hall. The foot of the staircase 
is in the latter, — the lower part being uninclosed. A rear ex- 
tension, of the same character, contains the kitchens, and their 
closets, and is made pleasant by verandahs. This may be fur- 
ther extended for wood-room, etc. 

The front verandah extends from wing to wing, the central 
portion being converted into bay-windows, which occupy the 
entire space from post to wall. These form small apartments 
of themselves ; pleasant recesses, where three or four persons 
may retire to work, or read, or talk. The opening into the 
parlor to be finished as the corresponding window, but without 
sash. A glazed door may be introduced, if needed, in winter. 
If the parlor be a room regularly used and warmed, these 
recesses will make convenient and pleasant conservatories. 
Externally, they relieve the plain surface of the house. 



122 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 




SECOND FLOOR PLAN. 

In the upper story, the space in front of the stairs is divided 
into two rooms, while that in the rear forms one large chamber. 

Thongh this house does not aim at much richness of detail, 
it suggests the advantages which are derived from mechanical 
processes, appliances, and skill, and which are fully enjoyed only 
in, or near large and prosperous communities. The expression 
thus given makes it a suitahle edifice for some large and thriv- 
ing village. It should he placed on ground elevated a little 
above the surrounding surface. 

Height of each story, 9 feet. Cost, $3,000. 



CHAPTER XIV 



INTERIORS. 




N the preceding de- 
scriptions, the mode 
of finishing interiors 
has received no atten- 
tion. This, no less 
than the outside form, 
J calls for careful considera- 
tion and good taste. We 
devote a few remarks, under 
distinct heads, to this part of our sub- 
ject. 

Walls. — Walls are sometimes covered with wood, and par- 
titions are sometimes made of boards. It is a poor practice, to 
be justified only by some special necessity. Not to mention 
other objections, boards are liable to warp, shrink, crack, and 
let in the cold. All inside walls should, therefore, be lathed 
and plastered. And as this is a rapid and cheap process, leave 
no ceiling, from cellar to attic, without a coat of plastering. 
This will make you safer against fire, — it will promote neatness 
and good looks, — and, as to the cost, you will soon save it in 
fuel. To plaster as they do in cities would be, in houses of this 



124 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

sort, a useless expense. The hard, smooth, white finish is not 
only needless, but undesirable. If the walls are well lathed, a 
single coat of good plaster, compounded with clean, coarse, light- 
colored sand, and evenly laid, answers every purpose. It will 
have a rough sand surface, and will look all the better for it. 
If you choose, you can give them, with lime-wash, before they 
harden, some durable color. Almost any light, cheerful tint, 
is preferable to white. What we have already said respecting 
deceptive work, makes it almost needless to add, that, under no 
circumstances, could we approve of marking, or coloring plas- 
tered wall in imitation of stone. If something more than a 
wash be demanded, resort is had to paint, or paper. The 
former is preferable, as giving a surface that is not injured by 
water, and may therefore be kept clean. But it is expensive. 
Paper is easily, rapidly, and cheaply applied, and its use is al- 
most universal. It is not free from objections ; such as the fact 
that it cannot be washed, is an absorbent of infectious matter, 
and sometimes harbors vermin. When walls have been several 
times papered, without removing the former coats, the accumu- 
lated layers of paste have themselves become putrescent, breed- 
ing fatal disease. For these, and other reasons, we would 
never paper the walls of kitchens, or of sleeping-rooms. Are 
not health, and cleanliness, and comfort, a thousand times more 
important than mere looks ? 

In regard to the selection and use of paper, a hint or two 
may be of service. It is a mistake to suppose that the beauty 
or fitness of a paper is necessarily proportioned to its cost. If 
some apartments require a more sober expression than is suita- 
ble for others, still let cheerfulness be the prevailing tone. We 
have occasionally entered rooms where the paper was so dark as 



INTERIORS. 125 

to give them an aspect of gloom. In the choice of figures and 
colors, there is a call for taste. Those pictured walls, however 
humble their decorations, will play some part in the education 
of your children. Where there is much blank space, it may be 
agreeably broken by a decided stripe, or by some prominent 
figure. In apartments of regular shape, plain papers may be 
used with good effect, the ground being first laid, and then 
surrounded with border stripes of a different color in panel 
fashion. Next the ceiling, a border of contrasting color should 
always be placed. The tendency of all very large figures, either 
in wall-paper or carpets, is to reduce the apparent size of the 
room. All grained and marbled papers, and imitations of 
stone blocks, mouldings, etc., are so clearly contrary to what we 
regard as a canon of true art, that we need but name them. 

We dislike the custom of papering ceilings. Let these 
remain so that they can occasionally be brightened and purified 
with lime. 

We have not contemplated having cornices in any of the 
rooms, unless it be the parlor of No. 17, where a light plaster 
moulding would be proper. 

Stairs. — The most common, and the greatest fault of stairs, 
is in making them steep and narrow. This is felt more and 
more as years advance, and infirmities increase. A low, broad 
step, is not only the easiest for age, but the safest for child- 
hood. To secure this great advantage is worth a special effort, 
and will, if necessary, justify the sacrifice of something else. 

In size, and style of finish, the stairways should correspond 
with the rest of the house. The newell post, hand-rail, and 
balusters, should be sufficiently large to be actually firm and 
protective, as well as to look so ; and this is enough for small 



126 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

houses. Where turned work is procurable, it will of course be 
preferred. Let not those, however, who cannot easily get it, 
suppose it necessary either to good looks, or good service. 
Some native wood is preferable to that which is far fetched. 

Mouldings. — In the use of mouldings round the doors and 
windows, the same regard to consistency should appear. The 
trimmings of the smaller and cheaper houses may be plain strips 
(without mouldings) put on after the walls are plastered. In 
other cases, the mouldings should be few and simple, neither 
finically small, nor very heavy. Unless the lines can be well 
drawn, it is better not to attempt any combination of curves or 
wave lines. Let each moulding be a single arc* 

Base boards, moulded simply, or chamfered on the upper 
edge, should project by their whole thickness from the surface 
of the plastering. 

It is poor economy to make the doors of inferior stuff, or so 
thin that they will probably warp and twist. 

Painting. — We can apply no other principles to the paint- 
ing of inside wood-work than those which were stated when 
treating of exteriors. These require that paint, when used, 
should acknowledge itself as such, and should eschew all shams. 
They exclude, of course, the practice of graining, — that is, the 
imitation (by pigments) of wood and stone. This has become 
so common that we may almost call it a rage. Like other 
senseless fashions, it will have its day, and pass away. It would 
be some satisfaction to us could we be instrumental in shorten- 
ing its reign a single hour. 

* In the working drawings of these houses, referred to elsewhere, mouldings are 
furnished suitahle for each design. 



INTEEIOES. 127 

What is gained by it ? You admire, it may be, tbe skill of 
the grainer. Yet his work can never equal the original, which 
you might have in its place, and even if it did, the cheat would 
not be worth the pains. His tints are perhaps pleasant to your 
eye, and when varnished, wear well and endure to be washed. 
These are advantages, but they can all be had in plain colors, 
without the imitation. To copy rosewood or mahogany because 
you cannot, or will not afford to have the real thing, is mean. To 
make a false semblance of oak, walnut, or maple, when you might 
have the genuine article for little if any more than the counter- 
feit costs, really seems to border on the ridiculous. 

But the folly sometimes goes still further. In one of our 
largest cities there is a public building, whose massive oak dooi 
has actually been painted and grained in imitation of black wal- 
nut. Its hard honest face had perhaps begun to look a little 
weather-beaten, and some citizen painter wanted a job, and so 
the once noble monarch of the woods must be made to show false 
colors, and to wear the livery of his former vassal. Some years 
ago, a small Gothic church was built at one of the fashionable 
watering-places where oak timber abounds. As a matter of 
cheap uess, the building was ceiled with it. Subsequently, a 
grainer of the most ordinary kind was employed to paint this 
ceiling, in imitation of the same wood, and for the modest pur- 
pose of making better oak than nature knew how to do. Into 
such absurdities are men liable to fall when their base of action is 
not sound. Of kindred origin and character are those mock stone 
blocks which may be seen even in some costly churches, forming 
impossible arches, and resting upon nothing, in grave defiance of 
the first laws of construction and gravity. These practical lies, 
which are pernicious and offensive every where, are surely most so 



128 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

when they present their brazen hollow fronts in places consecrated 
to religious worship and instruction. 

And now let us ask again, if an imperfect imitation of this or 
that wood is so pleasing, why not have the wood itself ? We 
have native trees fit for such purposes, in great variety and of 
much beauty. Besides the harder and more costly kinds, we 
have pines of all sorts, chestnut, ash, cherry, cedar, maple, mul- 
berry, apple, beach, birch of different sorts, and many more which 
might in this way be turned to good account. The use of these 
would impart richness and variety to the inside finish of houses. 
Oiled or varnished they will retain their natural hues, or will but 
grow handsomer with age, while the expense and annoyance of 
frequent painting will be avoided. The light colored woods may 
sometimes be improved in appearance by a transparent stain, 
which merely tints without disguising them. Some of these 
woods will make excellent floors. Why must we always tread on 
carpets ? Our fathers did without them and never complained. 
For much used rooms they are very objectionable. Dust is con- 
stantly absorbed by them, and infection, if it be present, and these 
pests they are ever ready to give back ; while their own fine woolly 
particles are always floating above. Let us have some floors so 
hard as not to need a covering. They should be carefully laid 
with narrow strips of hard wood, and may be variegated by the 
alternation of different kinds and colors. They would cost more 
at first, but as there would be no after expense, except an occa- 
sional oiling and rubbing, we think they would prove the cheapest 
in the end. Assuredly they would, if found conducive to the 
preservation of health and life. 

Window sashes are often made of these woods. In such cases 
their outside only should be painted. In all cases it would be 



INTEKIOKS. 129 

well to make the strips that secure the sashes, of some hard tough 
wood, and they should be neatly secured by round-headed screws. 

These brief hints might be much extended. We trust they 
will turn the attention of some who may be about to build, to the 
applicability and beauty of our common woods, as well as to their 
advantages on the score of wise economy. 

Windows. — Windows are very important and expressive fea- 
tures — -the eyes of the house. Their character and effect depend 
not only on their form, size, and frequency, but in some degree 
on the style of their drapery and shading. 

With a single exception, the bays in these houses are not 
large enough to be shut off from the rooms. A curtain may 
supply the place of doors, while each compartment of the window 
should have its own shade. In some of them it may be well to 
place permanent seats, such as the carpenter can make, and the 
frugal housewife can herself cushion and cover. 

The coolness and pleasantness of the house are much promo- 
ted by suitable window blinds, so fitted that they can be opened 
and modified at pleasure. Venetian blinds may be hung within 
or without. If within they are more easily managed, and inter- 
fere less with the external appearance of the building. Good 
finish requires boxes in the jambs to hold such blinds when open. 
If this be too expensive, let them fold back, one part upon the 
other, or if the whole window must be open, on the wall. 

If wooden blinds cannot be had, all may avail themselves of 
cloth shades that roll up. These may be linen or cotton, buff- 
colored or white, the plainer the better. At all events, good 
friend, when you are about to furnish your windows, do spare 
yourself the expense of getting, and those who pass by, the pain 
of seeing, those intolerable daubs called " painted shades," with 
9 



130 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

their preposterous attempts at landscape and architecture, which 
are now so common in cottage windows. 

Curtains are not, like some articles of furniture, absolutely 
necessary, and very many dispense with them wholly. Yet, in 
winter, they almost rival the bright fireside in giving to our 
apartments a warm, cheerful, homelike aspect. If selected with 
this praiseworthy end, and not for vain ostentation, they will be 
accommodated to the style of the rooms, and to the means of the 
family. The window curtains are a fair field for the exercise of 
housewifely taste and judgment. No need of sending to the city 
for flimsy gilt cornices. Your carpenter will make better ones of 
maple or black walnut, and the upholstery part can be done in 
the family. 

Kitchens. — To insure neatness where it is so desirable, kitch- 
ens should be well lighted in every part. The floors especially 
should be smooth and durable. Stone of large size and even sur- 
face makes the best hearth. If brick be used it should be painted. 

It is of the utmost importance that sinks should be tight, and 
that drains which convey away waste water, should be guarded 
by traps, to prevent the ingress of their foul and sickness-breed- 
ing air. 

Fireplaces. — Many of our plans show fireplaces. Others 
have chimneys without them. These can be retained or omitfed 
at the builder's option. Marble mantels will be deemed beyond 
the style of these houses, at least for the most part, and no one 
who has read what precedes, will expect us to advise imitations 
of marble in any cheaper material. The finish around the fire- 
place should be plain, and correspondent with the other work of 
the room, with a firm shelf, supported by suitable brackets. 

Door-Bell. — Our experience in wear and tear of knuckles 



INTERIORS. 131 

and patience, while we have been knocking for admission at 
houses in the country, impels us to advise that every cottage 
have a door-bell. Its cost is small and its convenience great. 

Ice. — Ice , once regarded as a luxury, is fast taking its place 
among the necessaries of housekeeping. Every family should 
have its ice-box or refrigerator. Its cost is soon repaid in the 
preservation of meats, etc., and ten times repaid in the comfort 
it gives. Where the article has not yet come to be one of daily 
distribution and sale, a number of neighboring families might 
unite in building and filling a small ice-house. 

Furniture. — The immediate duties of the architect are per- 
formed, when he has completed the house and its apartments. 
As, however, he is often required to adapt his work to particular 
articles of predestined furniture, he may, perhaps, be allowed to 
suggest that the additions subsequently made in the way of deco- 
ration and furnishing, ought in their character and expression, to 
bear some correspondence to his rooms. There are many, and 
sometimes glaring violations of taste and propriety in this respect. 
After the architect come the painter, paperer, upholsterer, and 
cabinet-maker, and these latter often mar, if they do not spoil 
the best designs of the former. We cannot expect to see con- 
sistency and harmony in all the features of our homes, so long as 
a merely finical fancy, or the selfish interests of artisans and 
tradesmen, or the absurd demands of ever-changing fashion, are 
allowed to. say how those homes shall be furnished and adorned. 

In such matters the future mistress of the house has, or 
should have a potential voice. Let her be entreated to abjure 
utterly the folly of imitation. Let her inquiry be, What will 
best become my circumstances and my apartments ? not, How 
has Mrs. A. or Mrs. B. decorated and furnished hers ? Let her 



132 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

remember that simplicity and beauty are kindred qualities. Let 
it be her special aim to give to her house and to each room, the 
true homelike air of ease and comfort. Let her remember, 
that with her it rests whether those rooms shall look stiff, and 
cold, and repulsive, or shall wear the ever-smiling expression 
of kindly invitation and cordial welcome. Good sense, good 
taste, and good morals, alike repudiate the paltry vanity which 
furnishes a house, not for its constant occupants to use and enjoy, 
but for occasional visitors to look at and admire. 

If these remarks apply to many who build costly mansions, 
they have a special interest for those whose means are com- 
paratively limited. In trying to be fashionable, none suffer so 
much as these. Eich people may show but little taste and 
a great deal of folly in such matters. But the articles which 
they procure are generally well made, and durable, and more 
or less comfortable. It is quite otherwise with much of the 
cheap furniture which is made in imitation, and sold in city 
shops, and whch is neither comfortable, nor handsome, nor 
durable. To the young wife or the matron about to occupy her 
little village home, we would say, be wary of such places. For 
the most part those mahogany sofas, chairs, bedsteads and bu- 
reaus, are mere shams. Like the razor bought by poor Hodge, 
they are " made to sell." It is vastly better for you to get 
something less aspiring, but more solid and more useful. 

In general it would be well that larger articles should be 
made specially for the room in which they are to stand. In 
this way they may not only be fitted to the places they are to 
occupy, but also to the general character of the house. For 
cottages of small expense, all that is needed in the way of 
couches and easy chairs, may be almost wholly of domestic 



INTERIORS. 133 

manufacture. The frames, simply but solidly made of some 
common hard wood, and of convenient form, might be cushioned 
and covered by the family themselves. In this way much may 
be done with very small means. We have seen good-looking, 
home-made chairs, with easy seats and backs, which had been 
quickly and cheaply manufactured, and with no other frame 
than a common flour-barrel supplied. Even the hardest and 
homeliest bench that was ever made of oak plank, is a more 
comfortable and more respectable article of furniture than many 
of the spring-seat and hair-cloth sofas and rocking-chairs, which 
we have met with, — soft, plump, and elastic to all appear- 
ance, but which when we, in good faith, accept their invitations, 
let us down with a sudden jerk, and make us painfully ac- 
quainted with their internal mechanism. 

In the matter of tables, bureaus, etc., we recommend the 
same honesty. Let them be of some native wood, solid, and 
strong and well made. Surely this is better than a perishable 
patchwork of soft pine, veneering and glue. If you have sup- 
plied your best room with well made maple or beech cane- 
seated chairs, you have no occasion to envy your neighbor her 
stuffed mahogany ones, which are probably as frail as they are 
uncomfortable. 

The cost and room of a bookcase may often be saved by 
means of recesses in the walls, fitted with shelves. 

In bedsteads simplicity is desirable. The broad foot-board 
is not only useless — it is often in the way. We hope to see a 
great reform in this article of furniture, and we have reason to 
think that it is already begun. 

In selecting a carpet for a small room, avoid large figures, 
the effect of which is to diminish the apparent size. 



134 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

In the initial cut of this chapter, the artist, following his 
own fancy, has given us a glimpse of an interior considerably be- 
yond the range and style of our cottages. It shows how bright 
and pleasant a place a room may be made, and how much more 
sensibly thousands might live, who, with ample means to build 
and furnish as they please, spend their days in apartments 
dimly lighted, and stiff, and cheerless. 



OHAPTEK XV. 



HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION, 




HE man who undertakes to build 
without any previous experience in 
that line, is liable to find himself 
involved in expenses for which he 
had made no calculation. A neg- 
lect of needful precautions in the 
earlier stages of the work, — neglGct 
which his want of familiarity with 
such arrangements may naturally induce, — -will perhaps seriously 
diminish the value of the structure. 

The minutiae of construction, — the modes in which building 
materials are to be shaped, combined, and adapted to their 
purpose, are to be sought for elsewhere ; as in the specifications 
of the architect, and in the knowledge and skill of the mason 
and carpenter. What the owner needs is, that his attention be 
seasonably called to certain things, which cannot be neglected 
without injury to his house. 

It is not enough that he who proposes to build should have 
fully planned the structure, and that all its particulars are dis- 
tinctly fixed in his own mind. This plan must be made equally 



136 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

clear to the mechanics who are to execute it. It should be so 
plain as to leave no chance for misunderstanding or perversion. 
And this requires that all the parts which can be so represented 
should be shown by drawings made to a scale sufficiently large 
to admit of measurement by the workmen. Every thing of 
importance for them to know, which cannot be drawn, should be 
fully described in writing. Floor-plans, showing the position 
and dimensions of walls and partitions ; elevations, giving the 
form of each side, with the windows, doors, and other details ; 
framing plans, determining the size and place of each stick of 
timber to be used ; sections of mouldings, cornices, stairs, and 
all those parts which are of irregular outline ; the whole ac- 
companied by careful specifications of the quality of all mate- 
rials, and the manner of their use, — are not only necessary in 
order to estimate, before building, what it will cost, but form 
the surest safeguard against misunderstandings, and against 
the taking of wrongful advantage when work is done by con- 
tract.'"" 

Under whatever system mechanics may be employed, they 
are entitled to a reasonable compensation for the work which 
they perform, and the materials they supply. Yet amid the 
strifes of competition, or in times of business depression, con- 
tracts for building are often made at prices which both parties 
know, and one of them sensibly feels, to be too low. Such a 
course is injurious to both. To the mechanic, it is not only a 
compulsory sacrifice of what he ought to have, but also a strong 
temptation to do wrong. And however the employer may 
fancy that he gains by the closeness of his bargain, he is quite 

* For the convenience of those who may adopt any of our designs, we have pre- 
pared working drawings. See card, following the Preface. 



HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION. 137 

likely to prove the greater sufferer of the two. Not to mention 
the claims of justice and mercy, — though these should first be 
heard, — such transactions often prove unprofitable to the owner, 
resulting very naturally in his being put off with poor work and 
defective material. To deal only with those mechanics who 
have an established reputation for fidelity, as well as skill, is 
the true way to obtain the full value of your expenditure. 
With such a man, it matters little how your bargain is made. 
You may buy your own materials, and pay for the labor in day- 
wages, or at a stipulated sum ; or you may contract for mate- 
rials and work at a given price. In either case, your own inter- 
est will be promoted by a close adherence to your original plan. 
Alterations, as we have said before, are very costly, and very 
vexatious. All this shows the need not only of a well matured 
plan, but also of a perfect understanding in the outset between 
the owner and the contractor. Let the bargain be well consid- 
ered, and it will probably be faithfully carried out. Needless 
interference should be sedulously avoided. If the owner be- 
comes convinced that the mechanic is not doing him justice, let 
them agree on some judicious neighbor to inspect the materials 
and work, and whose approval or rejection shall be final. In 
any event, keep clear of disputes, and especially of lawsuits. 

The use of unseasoned lumber in building is a prolific cause 
of annoyance and damage. This is a matter which should be 
attended to in season. Better to pay six, or even twelve 
months' interest, insurance, and storage, than to build a hasty 
house of green stuff, and regret your folly every day you live. 
If the plan be determined on, the requisite quantity, sizes, etc., 
will be known. Whether you decide to build by contract, or 
otherwise, such provision may, and should be made. The sea- 



138 VILLAGES AND FARM COTTAGES. 

soned stuff will always be good as cash in payment to the 
builder. 

In reference to this point, some master builders always hold 
themselves in readiness for the proper erection of an edifice at 
short notice. To such we would suggest the propriety of secur- 
ing, as they have opportunity, trunks of various trees which 
may be cut in their vicinity, or come within their reach. 
Somewhere, or somehow, they will all come in use. 

We need not urge the proverbial importance of firm founda- 
tions. These should rest on an even surface of earth, below 
the reach of frost. The bottom, or foot course, should in 
general be flat, and broader than the wall placed on it. One 
benefit from this is the security which it gives against the un- 
dermining operations of rats ; the habit of this animal being to 
dig next the wall. For the same reason, this course should be 
a little below the bottom of the cellar. When practicable, 
foundation-walls should be made of square stones, the portion 
above ground being laid in mortar. Cellar walls should always 
be laid in mortar or cement. 

A cellar should be dry and cool, but not so cold as to admit 
of freezing. Its dryness depends mainly on the situation and 
the nature of the ground. When these are such that water 
cannot otherwise be excluded, both the sides and bottom ought 
to be laid in cement. To prevent the air within from falling 
below the freezing point, that part of the wall which is above 
the surface, and also that which is in contact with ground that 
may freeze, should be made double, either by means of a dis- 
tinct thin wall outside, or, more easily, by furring, lathing, and 
plastering inside ; the object in either case being to inclose be- 
tween the partitions a thin space of air. This will not only 



HINTS ON CONSTEUCTION. 139 

retain the warmth in cold weather, but, in summer, will keep 
it out. 

The frame of the house should be firmly bedded on the 
foundation walls. By a skilful use of mortar, where the walls 
meet the principal floor, all passage for rats and mice may be 
cut off. To secure dryness, there ought to be a considerable 
space under every lower floor for the circulation of air. It is 
not essential (though where it can be done it is best) to have a 
cellar under the whole house. But to bed any part of the 
building in the ground, as too many do, will conduce neither to 
its own health, nor that of its inhabitants. 

Wakming and Ventilation are very important matters, 
demanding early and careful consideration. In regard to the 
former, the difficulty, in general, is not so much how to get the 
heat, as how to keep it. There can be no harm from the aggres- 
sive attacks of frost, so long as we keep its great antagonist at 
our side. To accomplish this, the external walls should be so 
constructed as to make them poor conductors of heat. In this 
respect, two thin walls, separated by a narrow stratum of con-_ 
fined air, are better than a very thick wall. The superior effi- 
cacy of air, when thus inclosed, as a non-conductor of heat, is 
perfectly established. In wooden buildings, the object may be 
accomplished by lathing and plastering between, as well as on, 
the studding, or by filling in with soft brick and mortar between 
the studding, leaving a thin space on each side. 

It is on the same principle that windows are doubled. Not 
only does radiant heat pass easily through thin glass, but the 
glass itself, growing cold with the external air, rapidly abstracts 
heat from the inner air in contact with it. But put another 
thin glass before, or behind it, so that the air between, no 



140 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

matter how narrow the space, shall be tightly inclosed, and 
the remedy is perfect. This, therefore, should be regarded not 
as a luxury, but as necessary to comfort and true economy. 

Wherever the winters are severe, the common, or living 
room, ought to be thus protected. Not only is fuel saved, and 
the whole room made more comfortable by such a provision, but 
the window itself, from being a dangerous, becomes a safe place 
to sit at. Especially is this important for delicate young 
women, who love to sit near the light as they read and sew, 
and thousands of whom have caught fatal colds in this very 
way. 

An air-stratum of a quarter of an inch thickness is as 
effectual as one of three inches, and the object aimed at has 
been perfectly secured by doubling the glass in the same sash. 
The only objection to this is, that the inner surfaces will, after 
a while, need cleaning, but cannot be reached. This might be 
obviated by making the sash in two thin parts, to be held 
together by screws. To take them apart once or twice a year, 
and clean the interiors, would be a small affair. Such windows, 
if protected against the direct rays of the sun, and kept closed, 
would be as useful in summer by shutting out the heat, as they 
are in winter by keeping it within. The ungainly appearance of 
a large outside sash would thus be avoided, while the means" of 
ventilation, and of using the open window, would be the same as 
with the ordinary single sash. 

On economy in the modes of warming a house, much might 
be said. We can but glance at the fertile topic. We have 
great fondness for an open, and particularly for a blazing fire. 
So high is our estimate of its cheerful and healthy virtues, that 
we would forego many things, deemed important by some, rather 



HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION. 141 

than give up this dear old friend. As to close stoves, we like 
them so little, that we could preach against them with a will, 
and call them all manner of hard names. But, in this age of 
iron, what would it avail ? The stove has become universal. All 
through the country, even where fuel is still abundant and cheap, 
it has supplanted the fireplace. Houses belonging to the class 
of our designs are generally so warmed. The cooking-stove, 
which, on the whole, is the least objectionable kind, from its 
supplying moisture as well as heat, is the only means of warming 
used in perhaps a majority of country and village houses. This 
being the case, plain stove -flues may, and doubtless will, be sub- 
stituted for the fireplaces in some of these designs. For mere 
warming, we would recommend the open stove, standing out 
from the fireplace, as combining economy with comfort. 

It will be noticed that we invariably place the chimney, not 
as it is usually, in the external wall, but in the central part of 
the house. This keeps in, and diffuses through the building, 
much heat, which, in the other case, goes immediately out of 
doors. 

From the fact that heated air ascends, while that which is 
colder takes its place below, it is easier to warm the story above 
the fire than that in which it is placed. In this way, by very 
simple arrangements, the chambers, even in small dwelling- 
houses, may be cheaply warmed. 

In cities, where the buildings are high, and close together, 
special means are needed to secure an ample supply and free cir- 
culation of air. In country houses, there is less occasion for such 
appliances, each room being in direct communication with a pure 
atmosphere. 

Of the ventilators in general use, one class depends on creat- 



142 VILLAGE AND EAKM COTTAGES. 

ing a current of air in the building by the action of wind upon 
an external apparatus. It is some objection to these, that they 
fail at the very time when their service is most needed. Those 
modes of ventilation which depend on the ascending tenden- 
cies of heated air, are not only more uniform in their action, but 
more easy of application. In rooms, for instance, where stoves 
are used, good ventilation may be secured in the following simple 
and inexpensive way. 

From a point, near where the stove is to stand, lay a pipe, or 
box, about six inches square, which shall communicate with the 
outer air. With this, connect another pipe, placed in a side or 
partition wall, and opening into the air-chamber of the roof. 
There should be an aperture in the latter pipe near the ceiling 
of the room. The stove must be so connected with the horizontal 
pipe that all other supply of air may be cut off at pleasure ; and 
both pipes must be properly furnished with valves. Suppose 
this arrangement to have been made in the kitchen. It is sum- 
mer time ; the air of the room is not only warm, but surcharged 
with vapors and odors. Close the opening from the floor pipe to 
the outer air, — connect it with the upright one, and shut off this 
above the opening near the ceiling. The fire must now draw its 
sustenance from the air of the room, and taking it directly from 
the upper strata, which are most impure, will soon restore mat- 
ters to a proper condition. But if there be no fire, by means of 
the floor pipe, introduce the outer air into the room, and leave 
open the passage to the roof. In rooms where there is nothing 
to make the air impure, supply the stove with fresh air from 
without, and cut off the communication with the side pipe. In 
parlors, or sitting rooms, during cold weather, the external air 
may in this way be made to pass round the fire, and thus enter 
the room pure, as well as warm. 



HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION. 



143 



But it is in bedrooms unprovided with fires, or flues, that the 
need of ventilation is most frequently perceived. Such rooms 
should be high, with an outlet at top for the escape of vitiated 
air. To protect upper rooms from the heating effect of the sum- 
mer sun, and to secure the means of ventilation, a space of air 
should always intervene between the ceiling and the roof. This 
provision is made in all our designs. Keference to the accompa- 
nying section will show how this 
is done. A narrow air-space be- 
tween the roof and plastered 
slope, is connected with the air- 
chamber at the peak. The air 
here, becoming heated, rises to 
the top, and escapes through 
apertures in each gable, just 
below the ridge. The current, 
which will usually set one way 
or the other, from opening to 
opening, will carry off the lighter 

- . , . , ,, SECTION. 

and warmer air, which other- 
wise would render the rooms below all but intolerable. We 
have already alluded to the facilities which high-pitched roofs 
afford for securing coolness and ventilation, and now, again, 
invite attention to this, as well as to their other excellencies. 

It is desirable that all windows, and very important that 
those of bedrooms should open at top, as well as at bottom. 
The extra cost of weights and pulleys (about two dollars a win- 
dow) will never be regretted by those who shall experience the 
benefit. 

A few of our plans, calculated for the vicinity of cities, and 




144 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

for villages where good mechanics are to be found, are made for 
tin roofs. The others are adapted to a shingle covering, as bet- 
ter, on the whole, for country houses, 

Whenever (as in Design No. 2) the two sides of a roof meet 
at right angles, the shingles at the sloping ridge, or hip, should 
be laid with the courses of the two sides alternately overlapping 
each other. The peak of the roof should always be covered with 
ridge boards. The valley between two meeting roofs (as in 
Design No. 3) is to be covered with metal before shingling. 
For this purpose lead is preferable, but the "Terne" tin-plate 
answers very well. It should extend about ten inches under the 
shingles on each side, a space of some three inches wide being 
left unshingled in the centre. These directions are very impor- 
tant, as furnishing the best, if not the only security, against 
leaks. For the same reason, and in similar fashion, lead should 
be inserted in the courses of the chimney, where it meets the 
roof. If the latter be tinned, turn up the tin around the chim- 
ney, and build the edge of the sheet into the brickwork, about 
four inches above the roof. 

In laying the chimney, and in framing the rafters, it must be 
borne in mind that the projecting base of the chimney-top, just 
below as well as above the roof, is larger than any other part of 
the shaft. v 

Health, comfort and decency, all demand that every dwelling, 
however humble, should have a water-closet under its roof, acces- 
sible with ease and without exposure to the external air. If the 
place be supplied with running water and facilities for drainage, 
such arrangements are made with very little trouble. The ab- 
sence of these advantages involves the necessity of greater care, 
and perhaps cost, in the construction of vaults, etc. If the right 



HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION. 145 

precautions are taken, all causes of offence will be effectually pre- 
cluded. The partial and imperfect method by which many have 
brought the water-closet under cover — methods which, through 
ignorance or disregard of pneumatic laws, have converted the 
whole house into a great flue for bad air — have undoubtedly pre- 
judiced multitudes against all attempts of the kind. If there be 
no sewer with which a connection can be made, a vault becomes 
essential, and from this a chimney-pipe must open to the outer 
air at a point above the ceiling of the apartment. In this way 
an inverted syphon is formed, through the longer arm of which 
the air-current will always set. This, be it remembered, is equally 
important, whether the vault be under the common roof, or under 
one that is detached and isolated, after the fashion which is so 
common, so elegant, and so delicately conspicuous. 

The use of timber in framing and building has been greatly 
modified within the last few years. Economy and strength have 
resulted from the change. It is now a principle well established, 
that the power of timber to resist a cross strain is in proportion 
to its depth rather than breadth. Acting on this, house-framers 
now use stuff much smaller than the stout beams and posts which 
our fathers supposed to be essential to strength and duration. 
While this reduces the amount of timber used and the labor of 
construction, it actually produces firmer and better work. 

But this reform is not yet universal. In some parts of the 
country, frames may still be seen with floor beams of perhaps 
eight inches by six, laid with the broader side up, and two feet 
apart. Instead of these, take plank eight inches wide and two 
inches thick, and place them on edge, sixteen inches asunder. 
This will save one half of the timber, while the floor laid thus will 
sustain a third more weight. Indeed, if laid as first named, the 
10 



146 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

weight of the floor itself will cause it to settle. When the im- 
proved method is used, there should be diagonal cross braces 
nailed between the beams, not only to keep them erect in their 
places, but to distribute the resistance and prevent the floor from 
springing. We may add in this connection that it is an excel- 
lent practice to deafen the floor ; that is, to fill a part of the 
space between the floor beams with clay, or some other inelastic 
and incombustible substance. This promotes warmth, renders 
the floor less pervious to sound, and, in case of fire, will retard, if 
it cannot stop the progress of combustion. The expense would 
not be great, as the material is usually at hand, and no special 
skill is required. 

In the size of timber for the outside frame, a great reduc- 
tion may be made on what many deem necessary, by placing 
less dependence on its own stiffness and power to resist a cross 
strain, and more on that of diagonal braces, and straight props 
and ties, which resist in the direction of their length. 

Because it is all to be covered up or for some other reason, 
the preparation made for plastering is often very poorly done. 
The studs, rafters, or furring, should not be too far apart ; the 
laths should be good, properly spaced and firmly nailed. If the 
laths are liable to spring or move, the " clinch" of the plaster 
will break and there will be nothing to hold it on. Strips t)f 
board, called " grounds," should be fixed at the sides of doors 
and windows and at the floors as guides, enabling the plasterer 
to make the surface plain and even. The carpenter is thus en- 
abled to put on his trimmings without cutting away the mason's 
work, or leaving crevices behind his own. It will be understood 
that the trimmings are to be put on after the plastering, and 
not before, as is the custom in some houses of a shabby and in- 
ferior character. 



HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION. 147 

Shingled roofs are sometimes painted. - It is a mistake to 
suppose that this makes them last longer. The paint, by 
creating small ridges or dams at the end of the shingles, 
where they join, tends to retain the water there and thus actu- 
ally expedites decay. If the color be dark, as most generally 
it is, its absorbent properties cause the roof to become much 
hotter under a powerful sun. And finally, the paint does not 
improve its looks. This, it will be said, is a matter of taste. 
True, but we must have faith in our own. To our eye the un- 
painted roof, like the human head, grows handsomer with age, 
and we love to look at it, bleached by long exposure to sun and 
storm, and grown gray, as it were, in honorable service. Nor, 
if it still keep out the rain, would we wish to change it even 
when nature, with ever busy hand, has converted it into one of 
her own parterres, and covered its venerable surface with mosses 
and lichens. 

With the outside walls of a wooden house the case is dif- 
ferent. They should be well painted. Here as elsewhere true 
economy lies in using the best materials, and in employing only 
skilful workmen. Outside painting, to be lasting and hand- 
some, should not be done in hot weather. The oil is then too 
readily absorbed. When it is cold, the oil and pigment slowly 
unite to form a tough and permanent coating. The necessity 
of repainting may long be deferred, by brushing over the surface 
with oil, every three or four years. 

In regard to colors, there is a boundless diversity of taste, 
and this perhaps is well, for it insures variety. No rule can be 
given. Houses differing essentially in character and situation, 
ought not to be painted alike. White seems to be the general 
favorite. Yet this, for a near and constant object of sight, is 



148 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

not pleasing or kindly to the eye. Neither do we like, espe- 
cially for rural dwellings, the darker shades. The needed vari- 
ety may be found among the softer, lighter, and more cheerful 
tints ; tints which neither pain the eye by their glare, nor repel 
it by their gloom. 

The scene around buildings in the process of erection is often 
very disorderly. This may be prevented by a little timely pre- 
caution. Let the owner designate, beforehand, places where the 
various materials shall be deposited, and mark out such space 
as may be needed for doing the work. The remaining part of 
the grounds and the trees, if it contain them, may be protected 
from injury, by a temporary fence. In his agreement with the 
builder, he should have a provision making him responsible for 
any damage that may accrue to his own or his neighbor's pro- 
perty through the carelessness or rudeness of the workmen. 

Persons unaccustomed to watch the progress of a building, 
are liable to be deceived by its appearance in the earlier stages. 
The rooms look small and seem to be growing smaller, and very 
few things appear as they supposed they would. Hence often, 
needless apprehensions and worse than needless complaints, 
To such, we can only say that they are not competent judges 
in the case. All that they can do is patiently to await the com- 
pletion of the structure. By that time, in all probability, their 
trouble and fears will have vanished. 



CHAPTEK XVI 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS, 




OWEVEK great the success of the de- 
signer, and the care which is be- 
stowed on the house, it will fall 
X short of its proper and complete 
effect, if it be manifest that no 
attention has been paid to the 
grounds on which it stands. To 
this matter, accordingly, we devote a 
few remarks. 

The same obligation to regard truth 
and consistency,— the same duty of conforming to the circum- 
stances of place and people, which we have urged in the forma- 
tion of the house design, should also direct the arrangement 
and improvement of the grounds. But the diversities of soil 
and surface, of climate and exposure, are so numerous and great, 
that no one plan of improvement can be applicable to very many 
cases. Still, there are some principles and facts which are 
common to all ; and to these we ask attention. 

Geading. — All changes that are to be made in the surface 
of the house-plot should be determined before the foundation is 



150 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

laid, though the work cannot be completely finished until after 
the house is done, and all rubbish is removed. 

The position of the dwellings should be so adapted to the 
form of the ground as to permit, at all seasons, easy access from 
the street, and ready communication between different parts of 
the lots. The earth should slightly descend every way from 
the house, to lead off the water, and for its better appearance. 
But beware of making the slope too great. In this particular 
many err. 

Various considerations, and, paramount among them a 
regard for health, demand that early and judicious attention 
be given to the matter of drainage. All foul and waste 
water of the house should be carefully conveyed away. No 
water should be allowed to flow towards wells, yards, or build- 
ings, nor to stagnate in pools, nor to run through walks, or 
garden paths. 

What form the surface should be allowed to keep, or made 
to receive, depends much on the way it is to be used. For 
gardens, a southern exposure is generally preferable. If this 
be the object, and if the lay of the land is naturally unfavorable, 
much may often be done to improve it for the specific purpose, 
by throwing it into terraces, and by walls, which may serve 
both as support and protection. As a matter of ornament, 
however, we think that terraces should be sparely used. In 
general, a gentle inclination, or curved slope of ground, is far 
better on every account. It is difficult to preserve the green- 
ness of a terraced bank in dry seasons ; it is more liable to be 
injured by heavy rains, and other violence ; it costs more to 
make at first, and more to keep it in order ; looks badly when 
it is not neat, and in its best estate is stiff and formal. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 151 

In the improving of rural grounds, it is desirable that the 
features which you introduce should harmonize with those 
which nature has already given. If the plot be quite small, 
and especially if the ground be level, this is a very simple 
affair. It becomes an important consideration, when the inclo- 
sure is sufficiently large to contain any considerable elevations 
and depressions, or promiuent rocks, or large trees, or running 
or standing water. How are such things to be disposed of? 
With some persons, variety of this sort seems to be only another 
name for deformity. Their rule is, that the valley must be 
filled, and the hill brought low ; that every thing which is 
crooked shall be made straight, and that all rough ways shall 
be made smooth. With reformers of this sort, who mar if they 
do not obliterate every thing that is expressive or picturesque 
in the grounds they occupy, we have no sympathy. 

But he errs on the other side who leaves every thing in its 
native rudeness, and who, perhaps, even in his improvements, 
attempts to imitate the wildness of uncultivated nature. This 
last is, indeed, a vain endeavor. 

In the immediate vicinity of our homes and in those objects 
on which the eye is constantly to rest, we need scenery which 
is tranquil and pleasing, rather than that which is wild and ex- 
citing. But let us have variety, if possible, and when Nature 
has kindly given it, let us not wilfully reject her aid. 

Whether irregularities of surface shall be retained, 01 
softened, or wholly removed, is a point which should be de- 
cided with reference to convenience. 

We would not spare even an aged tree, if its retentiou 
would be prejudicial to comfort and especially to health. But 
when, with no such reason, for the sake perhaps of the fuel^ or 



152 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

from mere recklessness and tastelessness, a man destroys, on Ms 
own ground, the magnificent plants which it has taken a life- 
time or a century to rear, we can only say that he is a semi- 
barbarian. 

Should your ground happen to contain a large boulder, or 
should some bed of rock crop out from its surface, do not, like 
many, suppose that a regard for good looks imposes on you the 
task of either blasting or burying the rugged intruder. Try 
rather, if it be not positively in the way of something needed 
and useful, to make it a pleasant feature in the scene. You 
may partially conceal it by vines or shrubbery. Half seen 
through leaves and clusters it will brighten, by contrast, the 
surrounding culture, and will remind each passer-by of toil 
performed and difficulties overcome. 

Finally, does a brook meander through your small domain ? 
If possible, suffer it still to wind and sparkle among the flowers 
and grass. We must plead for the innocent Naiad, free-born 
daughter of the hills. Force her not, henceforth, to creep 
darkly along between two straight, high, stone walls. 

Disposition or Ground. — To what special use each part of 
the ground shall be devoted, must depend in the main, on the 
size and situation of the lot, the nature of its soil and the form 
of its surface. Individual taste and local circumstances alone 
can decide how these useful and pleasing accessories shall be 
apportioned and arranged. 

To say that the grounds and surroundings of a house should 
correspond with it in general character and expression, is but 
to repeat, in substance, what we have already urged. What 
we always wish to see, is an evident regard for simplicity, order, 
and neatness. Many attempt too much, crowding sometimes 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 153 

into a small plot what would be sufficient, if properly distributed 
and expanded, for five times the space. 

While, in such matters, the convenience and pleasure of 
the occupants should first be thought of, their aspects, as seen 
by others, should not be disregarded. If practicable let the 
vegetable garden — which however useful is not beautiful — be 
screened from observation. Fruit trees will be safer at a little 
distance from the street, and they will also show better there. 

Let it not be thought that we would discourage the culti- 
vation of flowers, or that we are insensible to their charms, 
when we advise that the place devoted to them, should not be 
in front of the house. A flower-bed judiciously planted and well 
kept is, indeed a delightful spectacle, during the short season 
of its glory. But how short that is ! During times of drought, 
or conditions of neglect, sometimes unavoidable — during the 
witherings and decay of Autumn, and the long torpor of 
Winter — the case is very different, and the once smiling parterre 
becomes often actually repulsive. For these reasons, we would 
place the flower-garden where we can easily see it, if we choose, 
but shall not be compelled to see it always. The objection 
does not hold with reference to small patches of ever-blooming 
flowers, which cover the entire surface, (such as verbenas and 
portulaccas,) and which may be scattered here and there in the 
grass, or may serve to keep the ground open around small trees. 

For an object of constant sight in front of the house and be- 
neath its most occupied windows, there is nothing like grass. 
On nothing, probably, either in nature or art, can the eye rest 
with a delight so untiring and such ever new refreshment, as a 
smooth, thick carpet of green lawn, close-shaven and neatly 
kept. 



154 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

The lawns of England have long been its pride and boast, 
— the wonder and admiration of all who visit that country. 
Many suppose that our drier and warmer climate makes it im- 
possible for us to have these priceless ornaments of the land- 
scape. There is a difficulty, unquestionably, but it is not in- 
surmountable. Go anywhere in a time of drought-, and mark 
the difference between a piece of American meadow land which 
has been deeply ploughed and highly manured, and the neigh- 
boring grounds, that have been tilled in the usual shallow and 
niggardly way. What a comfort to turn from these, all arid 
and brown, to the deep cool verdure of the other ! Take this 
lesson, and act upon it. Instead of covering a hard, sterile bed 
of earth, with lean sods of sour grass and sorrel from the way- 
side, spade deeply the plot which you intend for grass — pul- 
verize it thoroughly — enrich it properly — plant, liberally, the 
right sort of seed — mow it every two or three weeks— give it, 
now and then, a rolling — keep it always clean — and we will in- 
sure you a carpet before your house that will infinitely outvie 
any you can spread within. 

All this, indeed, involves some labor and some care. But 
it need not be expensive. Do the work yourself. Take care of 
it yourself. It will soon become a delight. And when you see 
your children playing on it, and the passing stranger stopping to 
take a pleased look at the beautiful sight, you will feel justly 
proud of your little green. 

In the regards of every one who loves nature truly, trees 
must always fill a large place. It is not strange that our an- 
cestors, who came here into the forest, and found its trees in 
their way, should have been anxious rather how to get rid of 
them, than how to preserve or plant them. Until within some 



THE IMPKOVEMENT OF GKOUNDS. 155 

twenty or thirty years very little was done in the way of setting 
out trees for shade or ornament, especially around houses. The 
change which has taken place, is very marked, and in many 
cases, very undesirable. In multitudes of our villages and 
smaller towns, not only are the streets lined with trees, but the 
yards of the dwelling houses are frequently rilled with them. 
Their dense foliage brushes the windows, overhangs the roof, 
and wraps the habitation in perpetual shade. The opposite 
extreme of our ancestors was vastly better than this. The ob- 
jections are — first and mainly — that it shuts out the light of 
day and the wholesome warmth of the sun, at times when they 
are much wanted. We have many cool and many stormy days 
during the period of leaves. At such times a house so sur- 
rounded is gloomy to live in and gloomy to look at. The shade 
and the humidity, which so many trees constantly maintain in 
and around the dwelling, is unfavorable to health. There can 
be no doubt of this. They obstruct, when dense, the free cir- 
culation of the air. Sometimes they fill the house with in- 
sects. Wooden roofs, when overhung by branches, rapidly 
decay. 

Secondly — it does not look well. It is not in good taste, 
however it may be the fashion, thus to hide your house and 
hide your grounds behind a wall of leafage. In those lands 
where landscape gardening has been long cultivated, and where 
all points of this kind are carefully studied and well understood, 
this practice is very rare. The house is placed in sight, thrown 
open to the sun and air. Trees are set at a proper distance, 
where, from the house, they can be seen and admired. Is 
not this right ? If not ashamed of your house, pray let it be 
seen. 



156 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

" But how are we to shut out the sun in hot weather 1 " 
By projecting roofs, canopies, and verandahs ; by door-blinds, 
and window-blinds, and curtains. There is no difficulty. Pro- 
tect yourself against the sun by some shelter, which can be 
removed when again you want the sun. This is what you can- 
not do with your trees. 

If the house stand near the street, and the street itself be 
lined with trees, these will generally furnish all that is needed 
in the way of shade. If the front yard be deep, and it is 
thought best to place a tree or two within it, we would recom- 
mend such as have a light, thin foliage, and do not attain to 
great size. The acacia and the mountain ash are examples of 
the kind. 

We may add, in conclusion, that if you have many trees, 
and much shrubbery, you cannot have the lawn. Grass does 
not thrive under a dense shade, nor can it be properly cut and 
tended, where trees and shrubs interpose their obstructions. 
Within the actual circuit of the small grass-plot, it is very 
desirable that there should not be a single stem to interfere 
with the roller and scythe. 

Finally, good friend, if you would have your house look in- 
viting always to yourself, your family, and every body else, keep 
the grounds about it in perfect order. 

In all these arrangements of a home, let not the children be 
forgotten. Give them a share in the garden, and teach them 
to raise roots and flowers. Let them have a right in the poul- 
try-yard, and learn to feed their own fowls. Set apart some 
small place for a workshop, and accustom them early to the use 
of tools. Thus may they become timely industrious, trained to 
habits of skill, forecast, care, and thrift. Nor must the neces- 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 157 

sities of recreation be forgotten. It is as important that they 
should have time and place for play, as for work. If possible, 
let there be some appropriated spot, both within and without 
the house, where they shall feel at perfect liberty to enjoy 
themselves. 

Paths. — We have no desire to invade the province of the 
Landscape Gardener. But as most of those for whom we now 
write will feel unable to command his valuable skill, we offer a 
hint or two on the subject of paths. This is a branch of his 
labors, in which the professional artist sometimes finds it diffi- 
cult to combine grace with utility. If, however, it is certain 
that one or the other must be sacrificed, we regard 'the case as 
clear. From the street to the house-door — from the kitchen to 
the well, or the stable — the communication should be direct as 
possible. Over paths that must be traversed many times a 
day, and often, perhaps, in hot haste, no one wishes to be com- 
pelled to describe lines of beauty, though Hogarth himself had 
drawn the graceful curve. 

In gardens and pleasure walks the case is different, and we 
enjoy as a lawful luxury their easy windings and purposed pro- 
longation. Yet even these should not be wholly capricious. 
Let there at least seem to be some reason for every turn— some 
compensatory attraction for every delay. 

Fences. — Though the fence ranks among the minor matters 
of building, it is far from being unimportant. "Without it, no 
residence can he properly protected, or regarded as complete. 
Its style and condition often indicate, unmistakably, the taste 
and habits of the owner. What absurd fashions, — what 
strange and foolish fancies, — can be exhibited in fences, every 
observant traveller must often 'have remarked. And what 



158 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

surer sign of the sluggard, or the sloven, than leaning posts, 
gates that will not swing, missing rails, and broken palings ! 
And it is not the worst of it, that the eye is offended by absur- 
dities and negligences in this particular. The imperfect bar- 
rier, and the neglected gateway, are a copious fountain of daily 
vexations, of serious injuries, and sometimes of quarrels and 
lawsuits. 

That the fence should enhance rather than impair the effect 
produced by the house, it must be made to conform to it. 
This will best be done, not by a finical imitation of details, but 
by imparting to it the same general character, whether of sim- 
plicity or richness, of lightness, or of strength. A fence should 
be adapted not only to the house, but to the location and the 
neighborhood. Before you copy some pattern, which has struck 
your fancy, consider whether the circumstances of the two are 
alike. A rich fence of wood, or iron, in some rude forest situa- 
tion, and a mock rustic one, of unbarked cedar, on a city 
street, are about equally appropriate. 

To shut from view a stable-yard, — to protect a garden, or 
fruit orchard, from noxious winds, or marauding bipeds, a high, 
close fence, is often reared. But avoid such a fence, unless the 
demand is imperative. High, close fences, around houses and 
pleasure grounds, have a niggardly, exclusive, prison-like aspect. 
A fence may secure the place from intrusion, and yet afford 
free passage to air and light. If practicable, let your fences be 
of the open sort, and then, so far as sight is concerned, others 
will enjoy your grounds as much as yourself. This is an easy 
benevolence, but, alas ! how few practise it ! High, close 
fences are often used for the separation of contiguous lots. 
But why ? They are promotive neither of good looks, nor good 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 159 

feelings. Some slight railing, or invisible fence of wire, is in 
better taste, both sestheticalry and morally. 

All necessary divisions of the plot itself, whether temporary 
or permanent, should obstruct the view as little as possible. For 
such purposes the wire fence answers well. It is quickly placed, 
quickly removed, and cheap withal. 

Woven wire fence stuff is now made at very moderate cost, 
and will last a good while, if kept well painted. This will do 
very well for the front fence of a small door-yard. 

There is, probably, no inclosure, in all respects so pleasing, as 
'a quick-set hedge, properly shaped and neatly kept. Any body 
may have one who is willing to give time and attention to such 
matters. No need of sending to distant nurseries, or seed stores, 
for some exotic plant. Almost any of our native trees may be 
grown in hedges. The apple, for instance, will make an excellent 
fence, durable and impervious. But evergreens are preferable. The 
arbor-vitas, the hemlock, the spruce, and the fir, may easily be 
obtained, and their green walls will give pleasure all the year 
round. But let no careless, slovenly man ever attempt to have a 
live hedge. All its beauty and virtue depend on its being well 
preserved and constantly cared for. When neglected, straggling, 
and broken, it becomes a most unsightly and useless object. 

We come now to wood fences, which are far more frequent 
than any other. The facility and quickness with which they are 
put up — their cheapness and showiness — are their strong recom- 
mendations. 

In making such a fence, it is of the first importance that the 
posts be firmly set. To this end, let the hole be of the smallest 
possible diameter, and twice as deep as frost ever reaches. Throw 
in slowly round the post, earth free from stones, ramming it 



160 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



solidly all the time. There is some trouble in this, but it pays 
in the end. If the post be set with its natural top downward, 
the reversal of the sap vessels will retard the absorption of water, 
and will thus add to the durability of the timber. 

A disordered rickety gate is an occurrence so common and so 
annoying, that we expect to be thanked for a word or two on this 
point. The trouble may result from various causes, such as 
instability of the posts, want of strength and proper bracing in 
the gate-frame, insecure attachment of the hinges, and a poor or 
dislocated catch. Sometimes the distance between the gate-posts 
is not rightly adjusted, or the ground below has not been properly 
graded. Let all these things be carefully looked to, in time. Be 
sure that your gate has the best of stuff, and the best of work. 
If much used, it should be provided with some simple, self-acting 
fastener. 

Unless you wish to invoke curses on your head, both loud and 
deep, don't let your gates swing outward ! 

From the boundless variety of 
wooden fences, we select two or 
three, which we can commend as 
neat, simple, and economical. 

It is an improvement on the 
common form of the picket fence> 
to use pickets more than an inch 
thick, and but little wider than 
that, so that the tops shall be 
nearly square. The accompany- 
ing cut presents a still better modification, suitable for the sepa- 
ration of lots. The palings are thick, six feet in length, inclosed 
between double rails, so that the fence has the same aspect on 



nPnnn H nPnll n 




^aggEai^gjgffifrf. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 



161 




S&^lg^?jJ^fefe4^ iL~ 



both sides. Train along such a fence the Wistaria vine, and in 
the season of bloom, you will have a lovely wall of verdure, sur- 
mounted by a glorious cornice. 

For their inclosures . j^ 

many use the common 

" fencing-lath " of the 

lumberyards. But these 

are neither straight nor 

thick enough to make a 

good fence in the ordinary way. They may, however, be 

turned to account in the following manner. 

Place the lath with their sides toward each other ; 
cut grooves in the under side of the upper rail, to re- 
ceive their ends, and cover the joints on both sides 
with narrow moulding strips. Secure them at the foot 
by three narrow strips, as shown in the section.* To 
make the central blocks which separate the laths, take 
an inch board, three inches wide ; with an inch and a half 
auger, bore holes four inches apart, and saw through the holes. 

In the neighborhood of cities, and wherever a needy and un- 
scrupulous population is 
found, fences secured by ^ 
nails only, stand but a 
poor chance. As offering 
more protection against 
these petty thieves, we 
suggest the accompany- 
ing and the following patterns. Their decided advantage in point 

* The cuts of fences are all made on a scale of one quarter of an inch to a foot, ex- 
cept the section, which is three times the size. 
11 



W£ 



SECTION 




162 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 




of appearance will be at once apparent. Fence like this, with 
moulded rails and round balusters, all accurately made by 
machinery, is now manufactured at Buffalo, and sold, not only 

there, but in New York 
and elsewhere, for less 
than the cost of common 
picket fence. 

We give here another 
form, with three rails and 
heavier balusters — as one 
of the many variations, which may be made in this sort of fence. 
It is obvious that the color of the fence should conspire with 
its form and other qualities, in making it only a subordinate fea- 
ture of the place. 

Drainage. — A general allusion to this important topic is 
hardly sufficient. Should any part of your ground be springy ; 
especially should you find that water is likely to ooze from that 
which is under and near the house, resort must be had to under- 
draining. In the same way treat every low and swampy spot, 
where water stands. This, remember, is a question of health, as 
well as of comfort, and admits no alternative. In the case of 
swampy ground it becomes also one of gain. 

There are many ways of draining ; such as by trenches par- 
tially filled with small stones ; by sewers of brick ; by clay pipe 
and clay tile. You must determine for yourself what mode is 
best in your own case. 

If there be no provision for retaining and using the rain- 
water, an under drain of stones or some other precaution is needed, 
to prevent the descending streams of the roof from washing away 
and disfiguring the surface. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 



163 



For the waste water of the kitchen there should be a covered 
drain. This water is valuable, and should not be lost. If prac- 
ticable, let it flow into a manure vat, at some distance from the 
house, into which earthy and vegetable materials should occasion- 
ally be thrown. These will absorb it, and thus become rich fer- 
tilizers. If this cannot be, it may discharge into some brook — or 
in default of this, into a covered cess-pool, sunk in porous earth. 
To prevent it from becoming a thoroughfare and retreat for rats, 
guard it at each end by coarse gauze of copper wire. 

Still more important is a stench-trap at the entrance, to seize 
and hold its foul and noxious odors. Millions, for want of this 
simple contrivance, breathe mephitic vapors every day— and it is 
impossible to doubt that many, many thousands of human beings 
have sickened and died from thus needlessly, but constantly, 
inhaling the poisonous gases of sinks and sewers. 

But what is a stench-trap ? some 
may possibly ask. A very slight affair. 
Here is one. a is a hopper-shaped 
wooden box to receive the waste water ; 
b is the drain or trough that takes it 
away ; the partition c reaches far enough below the under edge 
of the trough to cut off all air communication between a and b. 
It is in fact an inverted syphon, whose bend being always full of 
water, allows no air to pass. These traps ready-made of terra- 
cotta, may be obtained at the manufactories and warehouses of 
that article. 

Clay pipe, which may be procured in short pieces of any dia- 
meter required, is the best material for such drains. Once in the 
ground it is literally imperishable. But when these cannot easily be 
got, troughs of yellow pine, or of chestnut plank do perfectly well. 



~-^-v^v 




164 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

Cisterns. — We had occasion in an earlier chapter, to touch 
on the excellencies of rain-water. Strange to say, they seem to 
be comparatively unknown. The vast alembic of the atmosphere 
is unceasingly at work, in distilling from the salt sea brine a pure 
crystal element. From its magazines of cloud, that element is 
again dispensed and distributed over the earth, and with absolute 
certainty, if not with entire regularity. There are very few 
places on this globe of ours, where the supply from the heavens — 
coming either at irregular intervals, or in one or two seasons of 
continuous rain, is not sufficient, if collected and preserved, for 
the entire domestic uses of the people. 

Kain comes to us pure, or nearly so. We do not have to go 
after it ; it seeks us. On the palace and the cottage roof alike 
it lays its benignant offering — seeming to patter — " Here I am. 
Set your tanks, and they shall be rilled." But how often is this 
offer scorned. Off it runs and sinks speedily into the more grate- 
ful earth. Down, through vegetable mould, through masses of 
drift, and fissures of the partially soluble rock, it silently makes 
its way, taking up something from each as it goes. At length 
some clay bed arrests and accumulates the waters. 

And now we, who saw this pure liquid go down before our 
faces, and had only to reach forth our cups and catch it, — what 
do we wise folks do ? We dig, we bore, we blast ; often at great 
expense and with much labor, we penetrate deep into the bowels 
of the earth, till we reach the water. Then we insert a pump, or 
rig a windlass, and work hard to lift a little of it up. And what 
do we get ? A lixivium — a solution of salts — sulphates and car- 
bonates — chlorides and iodides — and ever so many more. Almost 
all well water is mineral water. Much of it is absolutely unfit to 
use ; gradually deranging the system, and acting as a slow poison. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 



165 



The rain falling on roofs upon which soot and dust constantly 
gather, must carry with it to the reservoir these impurities. And 
hence, much of the prejudice which exists against the use of rain- 
water as a drink, and in cooking. Multitudes have never seen it 
clear and sweet, and do verily seem to think that it is foul when 
it comes down. How then is it to be made fit for use ? 

Various processes have been devised for the filtering of im- 
pure water. One is to insert the foot of the pump into a mass of 
porous stone, through which the water must percolate before it 
enters the pump. Another is to attach a filterer to the muzzle. 
Filtering vessels are also manufactured, differing much in kind, 
size, and merit. Into these the impure water is poured, and 
drawn off clear below. Some of these answer an excellent pur- 
pose, and should certainly be obtained by those who, from any 
cause, do not choose to secure the desired end in the cistern itself. 
But a filtering cistern is, on the whole, far preferable to any 
other method. One way is to make a partition, a, in the cistern, 

dividing it into two portions. This par- 
tition is pierced at the bottom with 
several apertures. A low wall, b, is 
built up on each side the partition, and 
a few inches above the top of the aper- 
tures. The open space between these low walls, c, is filled with 
charcoal broken fine, and with gravel — the latter being on top. 
The water is conducted into one apartment, and may always be 
drawn up bright and clear from the other. The accompanying 
section, to which the letters have reference, may help to make 
this account more intelligible. 

We have lately seen what appears to us a decided improve- 
ment on the plan just described. In this the filtering cistern is 




166 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

a separate affair. A cask, holding perhaps a hundred gallons, is 
placed by the side of the larger cistern, and quite near the sur- 
face of the ground. An aperture in its bottom, over which is 
secured a large sponge, is connected by a good-sized pipe of wood 
or clay, with the main tank. A third part of the cask is now 
filled with the charcoal and gravel ; the conductor from the house 
is led into it, and the thing is complete. 

This mode is not only as easy and as cheap as the other, but 
has this great advantage, that the fllterer can be often and 
readily cleaned, while in the other case, it is necessary to remove 
all the water and to go down deep, in order to accomplish the 
work. 

Brick cisterns covered with cement, are better and more 
durable than wooden ones. When the ground is of such a nature 
that a smooth cylindrical hole can be made in it without much 
trouble, there is no need of brick. First cover the bottom with 
a bed of concrete — then set up a curb of boards around, leaving 
a narrow space between it and the earth, and fill in with your 
liquid concrete. It will soon harden into stone, and if the work 
be well done, will stand till the earthquake comes. If you use 
the small wooden fllterer, let that also be bedded in concrete. 

We cannot apologize for having thus stepped perhaps a little 
out of our professional walk, nor for having dwelt with what may 
be deemed needless minuteness on a subject which to some will 
seem of trifling moment. It does not so appear to us. We can- 
not resist the conviction that the water which men drink, has 
almost as much to do with their health, as the air they breathe. 
A large portion of our vast country rests on strata of limestone. 
Wherever this is the case, the water is more or less impregnated 
with salts of lime. Multitudes have and seek no other drink, 



THE IMPEOVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 167 

than the turbid waters of western streams. To these causes is un- 
doubtedly to be attributed much of the sickness which prevails in 
those regions. The highest authority of science and experience 
assures us that the free use of such water predisposes the drinker 
to attacks of cholera, and makes that now constant terror of the 
West more malignant and fatal. 

For all this, how obvious the remedy ! How prompt ! How 
easy ! and how cheap ! 

House Plot. — It is rather to illustrate some of the ideas pre- 
sented in this chapter, than as a pattern for exact imitation, that 
we give a plan of arrangement for a small village lot. It is sup- 
posed to be level ground on the east side of the street. It is 
seventy-five feet in front, by one hundred and fifty deep. Though 
larger than lots usually are in our new suburban villages, it is not 
large enough for satisfactory cultivation in a general way. 

We suppose the house, Design 11, to be placed in the centre 
of the lot, twenty-five feet from its front. The verandah and the 
parlor front windows look toward the west. The hall and kitchen 
windows and the rear entrance face the south ; this being the 
position which is best adapted for comfort at all seasons of the 
year, and all hours of the day. 

Along the northern side of the lot runs a straight lane for 
communication with the stable. This, which is wide enough for 
a load of hay to pass, is turfed and separated from the rest of the 
land by a wire barrier. A grape vine, protected by a bar or light 
railing, is trained along the fence. 

There are two gates in front, opening into paths about three 
and a half feet wide, which bending with easy curvature, meet in 
front of the verandah. A continuation leads to the rear entrance, 
and thence by the well to the stable. Branches from this diverge, 



168 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



and reunite on the south side of the garden. Begularity is aimed 
at in the lines of the front yard, as in good keeping with the 
character of the house and its verandah. The semicircular space 
c is laid down to grass, with no obstructions unon it but the 




REFERENCES. 

a, Walk. 

&, Stable path. 

c, Lawn. 

d, Shrubbery. 

e, Flower bed. 

f, Evergreen screen. 
h, Clothes yard. 
i, Fruit. 
j, Vegetables. 
g, Summer house. 
*, Well. 
I, Cow yard. 
m, Poultry yard. 
n, Piggery. 

0, Manure pit 

HOUSE. 

v, Verandah. 

h, Hall. 

p, Parlor. 

k, Kitchen. 

b e, Bedroom. 

s, Scullery. 

w b, Wood room. 

STABLE. 

1, Tool room. 

2, Poultry room. 
8, Cow stall. 

4, Feed room. 



Scale 32 feet to an inch. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 169 

small flowering shrubs that skirt the fence. The portion on the 
right of this may have a few fruit trees, with here and there, if you 
like, a choice shrub. If preferred, a suitable shade tree may be 
planted at each corner of the lot, next the street. 

The walks, it will be seen, allow one to traverse nearly the 
whole ground, without returning on his steps. On the northern 
side is a small flower bed of fanciful shape. Several little beds of 
various form are cut in the grass near the principal walk, for the 
cultivation of petunias, verbenas, portulaccas, violets, myrtles, and 
other plants of similar character. Each bed must be planted 
with but one sort, which must fill and cover the entire spot. 

The ground next to the house is kept in grass, or devoted to 
creeping vines ; of which there is one at the foot of each veran- 
dah post. A shrub shades the bedroom window. 

In a part somewhat secluded is placed the summer-house, 
or garden seat, g. The well-house, &, is also partially embow- 
ered. A small thicket of evergreens at / shuts of! from the 
street a sight of the clothes-yard. Its hedge-like character is 
disguised in front by the irregularity of the planting . 

The plot, i, may be devoted to berries, or fruits. Borders 
of currants, raspberries, etc., extend from the summer-house to 
the south-east corner, and also hedge in the vegetable garden. 
Trailing plants may be made to cover the stable-yard fence, 
which is supposed to be a close one. 

In the vegetable garden it would be well to raise only the 
choice roots and plants of household use in summer. It were 
better to obtain potatoes, and other winter supplies of vegeta- 
bles, from some cheaper ground. The clothes-yard may be 
used, if necessary, for the temporary deposit of wood, and the 
space in its rear is a play-place for the children. 



170 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

The stable is designed to be a square building, with hipped 
roof and battened sides. The upper story should be high 
enough to contain a sufficient supply of hay, with a window in 
front for its reception. On the first floor is a large room for 
the storage of tools, and for general purposes. The hen-house 
(2) has an opening into the yard, m, and is provided with boxes 
for nests, which open from the tool-room. There is a stall for 
the cow, and her manger is so placed that it can be supplied 
from the tool- room. A door in the same room opens at the 
right hand of the cow. No. 4 is a feed-room, from which the 
hog receives his rations. 

The yard, I, slopes towards the manure pit, o. This insures 
a dry bed for the cow. She should also have the shelter, in 
summer nights and stormy winter days, of a low shed, which 
may be built against the stable wall. 

The well is conveniently placed for supplying house, stable, 
and garden. 

The Stkeet. — Interest and duty should alike prompt you 
to pay some attention to that part of the highway which ad- 
joins your premises. Do not subject yourselves and others to 
perpetual vexations, because the authorities of the place neglect 
their duty. As far as your own line extends, make and main- 
tain a wide, smooth, dry side-walk, with a gradually sloped 
water-course between it and the carriage-way. Let there be 
against your ground no unsightly, or dangerous banks. Let no 
needless obstructions, or rubbish, ever deform your side of the 
road. The outer edge of the side-walk is usually the proper 
place for trees. Select them judiciously. There is a wide 
range of choice. Plant them also judiciously. It is a mistake 
to set them thickly, with the idea of thinning out, when they 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF GROUNDS. 171 

become large. The process is hardly ever performed. Let the 
uncrowded tree spread itself in the air and light, and its top 
will become full, symmetrical, and beautiful. Beware of the 
pruning knife. Ornamental trees are often spoiled in this way. 

At a proper distance from the gate, place a hitching post, 
provided with a chain halter. It will save your side-walk, your 
fence, and your young trees from harm ; and, perhaps, it will 
save your own, or your neighbor's horse and carriage. 

In regard to such improvements as these, do not wait for 
others to lead the way. Set the example, and say nothing. 
Your neighbors must be different from most men, if they long 
resist such teaching. 



CHAPTER XVII 



THE GARDEN. 



AKDENING, though it has 
much increased in extent 
and favor, is still far from 
being an object of general 
attention among us. With 
the majority of our rural and vil- 
lage population, it is a thing al- 
most wholly neglected. They 
have every facility. But the wil- 
ling soil lies untilled at their 
very doors, while sunshine and 
shower, with all their fertilizing 
and fruit-producing powers, fall unavailingly on the neglected 
ground. 

The taste is wanting. The culture of salads and pulse, of 
roots, fruits, and flowers, has not yet become the fashion. 
The material advantages, one would think, the saving and the 
profits, might induce many to have a good garden. The truth 
is, that they are content with a meagre board. They forego 
altogether the cheap dainties of the garden, rather than take 
the trouble to raise them. 




THE GARDEN. 173 

To say nothing of these, — its innocent luxuries, — a well- 
kept garden is a feast for the eye. The fragrance of its flowers 
and fruits regales the sense of smell. Its culture is an easy 
and pleasing occupation for both youth and age. Portions of its 
care are well adapted to the quick eye and delicate hand of 
woman. The employment which it furnishes is healthy, as well 
as agreeable. As a pleasant resort, and an object of just pride, 
it tends greatly to strengthen the ties of domestic attachment. 
To sum up, — a neat, productive garden, tended by the family 
itself, is not only one of the most delightful things about a 
homestead, but one of the best. It is a moral power — pure, 
wholesome, and conservative. 

Gardening is a pursuit which, once taken up, is apt to grow 
in the love of its votaries. There is good reason for this. The 
practical horticulturist is constantly making progress in know- 
ledge and skill. The results of his industry and care are visible 
and tangible results. He finds his experience growing yearly 
more profitable, as well as pleasing. Of necessity, he becomes 
attached to objects which he has aided in calling into being, 
and has tended with so much care. No other tree can interest 
him like that which he himself planted, or grafted. Its health, 
its growth, its annual putting forth of buds and leaves, and 
flowers and fruits, are watched by him with a solicitude, not 
wholly unlike that which he feels for his children, who are 
growing up with it. 

Do not suppose that experience and knowledge are necessary 
in order to make a beginning, nor think that unless you can 
have a large and complete garden, it is not worth your while to 
have any. Many err from attempting too much. The first re- 
sults are unsatisfactory, and they give up the attempt in dis- 



174 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

gust. No more ground should be set apart for this purpose 
than can be thoroughly attended to. A large, neglected, slov- 
enly garden, will yield neither pleasure nor profit. Begin, then, 
moderately ; but do not forget that your requirements will in- 
crease with your experience and skill. Your plans in this 
respect should have reference to the future, as well as the 
present. 

Set out with a determination to cultivate only the best 
plants, fruits, etc. These occupy no more space, and require 
no more care, than those of an inferior quality. Especially is 
this incumbent on those whose garden room is small. There 
will be more of pleasure, and of profit too, in the thorough and 
successful culture of a few choice sorts, than in the production 
of a great variety. 

The few hints which we venture to offer on the subject of 
gardening will be mainly of a preliminary and precautionary 
character. We would point out certain steps which should be 
taken at the outset. For the details of practice, there is no 
teacher like experience; or if other aid be needed, there are 
treatises in abundance. 

For the substance of these suggestions, for the flower-bed 
designs, and lists of plants and fruits, we are indebted to the 
kindness of a gentleman well known for his skill and taste in 
horticulture.* 

The first matter of importance is the preparation of the soil. 
The aspect, grading, etc., must, of course, depend on the cir- 
cumstances of each case. The ground, whether meant for gar- 
den or lawn, should be spaded from two to three feet down, and 

* Peter B. Mead, Esq., Secretary of the New York Horticultural Society, and late 
Corresponding Secretary of the American Institute. 



THE GARDEN. 175 

cleared of stones. It may be done in this way. At one end of 
the ground to be dug mark off a strip, — say three feet wide. 
From this remove the earth a spade's depth, throwing it on the 
outside. Stir the bottom of this trench another spade's depth, 
and pick out the stones. Now mark off a second strip, and 
spade as before, throwing the earth into the trench just made. 
Loosen the bottom of the second trench, and so proceed till the 
whole is dug. The earth removed from the first trench must be 
used to fill the last one. It will take longer, but will generally 
pay well, to throw out from each trench two spits deep, stirring 
the bottom as before. 

The importance of this process is well understood by practi- 
cal gardeners, and can hardly be overrated. It gives a chance 
for the roots to descend, and by allowing air and moisture to 
penetrate, furnishes not only nourishment, but warmth. 

In this process of trenching, many small stones will be 
thrown out. These are of great value in making walks. Hav- 
ing marked out the path, excavate the whole of it to the depth 
of three feet. Fill up one foot with stones ; the largest below. 
Upon the stones place a layer of brush, or of sods ; then a foot 
of soil, to be topped with gravel, slightly crowned. The bed 
of stones and brush will not only keep the path dry and hard at 
all times, but will serve the valuable end of draining the ad- 
joining ground. Where anthracite coal is burned, the ashes 
make a good covering for garden and other paths, treacling 
down hard, and keeping out grass and weeds. 

If the ground be naturally wet, it may need additional 
underdraining, which can be effected by other trenches of the 
same kind, or by the use of tile. 

How little patches for flowers may be cut in the green turf, 



176 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



and how they should be planted, we have already shown. We 
also gave, in the Design for grounds, an ornamental flower bed. 
Two other specimens of geometric figures for the same purpose, 
by Mr. Mead, are here presented. They are intended to show 
what may be done. There 
is no limit to the variety of 
such combinations. The 
figures are easily formed. 
Two sharpened sticks, con- 
nected by a string, are the 
only instruments required. 
One of the figures, it may 
be seen, is numbered and 
lettered. 

A selection of plants, 
proper for each spot, and 
so arranged with reference to size, colors, etc., as to produce a 
pleasing and harmonious effect, will be found in the following 
instructions : — 




Scale 16 ft. to an inch. 



In the middle of one of the outer borders plant Magnolia purpurea, and in the 
middle of the corresponding borders, Rhus cotinus, Euonymus Americanus, and Vibur- 
num opulus, — all large shrubs. Midway between these and the corners, plant Halesia 
tetraptera, Rhododendron catawbiense, Philadelphus gracilis, Chionanthus virginicus, 
Clethra alnifolia, Kalmia latifolia, Hibiscus Syriacus, Weigela (Diervilla) rosea. Between 
these last and the first named, plant Azalea Pontica, Styrax glabra, Forsythia viridis- 
sima, Lonicera Tartarica, Aucuba Japonica, Euonymus Japonica, Mahonia aquifolia, 
and Coronilla emerus. In the central points of the same borders, plant an Azalea, 
Spiraea callosa, Mahonia aquifolia, and Euonymus Japonica variegata. In the four 
corners, plant Syringa Josackii, Philadelphus coronarius, Halesia diptera, and Deutzia 
scabra. There will still be room enough for other plants, but they must not be 
crowded ; this room may bo occupied with Calycanthus floridus, Berberis purpurea, 



THE GARDEN. 177 

Yucca gloriosa, Spiraea thalictroides, S. trilobata, S. Douglassii, Cotoneaster microphylla, 
Dielytra spectabilis, Crataegus pyracantha, and some choice roses. The paths indicated 
by the dotted lines in the corners may be omitted or opened, as desired. 

In the middle of the centre piece plant the Spiraea Reevesii, and in the centres of 
the beds 2, 3, 4, and 5, plant roses — Geant des Battailles, Caroline de Sansal, Prince 
Albert, and Pius IX. In each of these beds, at equal distances apart, and about one 
foot from the edge, plant three of the following : Spiraea filipendula, Plumbago lar- 
pentae, Anemone Japonica, Crucianella stylosa, Myosotis palustris, Hepatica trilobata, 
Dodecatheon meadia, Alyssum saxatile, Convallaria majalis, Aquilegia glandulosa, 
Sedum Sieboldii, and Chelone barbata. 

The position of plants in each of the beds numbered 6, 7, 8, and 9, is to be accord- 
ing to the letters shown on that marked 8 ; and the sorts as follows : — At a, Roses — 
Hermosa, Mrs. Bosanquet, La Reine, and Augustine Michelet ; at i and c, Phloxes ; 
at d, an Antirrhinum ; at h, a Delphinium ; at /, Lychnis Chalcedonica, Dictamnus 
rubra, Pentstemon gentianoides, and Campanula grandiflora ; at e, Valeriana rubra, 
Oenothera Frazerii, Lychnis viscaria, and Veronica spicata ; at g, Pentstemon atropur- 
pureum, Lupinus polyphyllus, Aconitus napellus, and Aconitum speciosum ; at 6, Dra- 
cocephalum speciosum, Valeriana officinalis, Spiraea lobata, and S. Americana. 

In addition, there should be distributed about the borders a good collection of 
Chrysanthemums. In the fall, clumps of Tulips, Hyacinths, Narcissuses, Jonquils, 
and Crocuses, may be planted wherever room may be found for them. Bedding plants 
are indispensable. Among the best are Verbenas, Petunias, Cupheas, Scarlet Gera- 
niums, Nierembergias, Gaillardias, etc. Also Dahlias, Gladioluses, etc. 

A similar arrangement of the same plants, with such modifi- 
cations as circumstances and good taste may dictate, will be 
readily made for the beds of the design on the next page. 

We commend this delightful task to the young, and espe- 
cially to young women. The examples furnished will soon 
suggest others, and they will find occupation ever fresh and 
pleasing, in devising new combinations of figure, and new ar- 
rangements of flowers. 

The fruit and vegetable garden should be laid out in large 
squares, in order that no room be needlessly occupied by walks. 
Every inch of valuable ground should be devoted to some use- 
12 



178 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



ful purpose. Let these squares be edged with box, kept always 
neatly trimmed. Dwarf fruit trees (especially the pear) may 
be planted on all sides of these squares — about four feet from 

the box edging, and from six 
to eight feet apart. Between 
every two trees, a currant or 
gooseberry bush may be planted. 
A part of one square may be 
appropriated to an asparagus 
bed, a portion of another may 
be set apart for strawberries. 
Against the fences, raspberries 
and blackberries may be plant- 
ed. Across the middle of one 
square, a row of rhubarb plants 
may be set — not less than four 
feet apart. 

Wherever the climate allows, every body should raise grapes. 
They occupy but little ground. They will grow in corners, and 
by the side of buildings, where nothing else of value could stand. 
They will run up your verandah posts, and stretch along the 
cornice, and adorn with their green drapery and purple clusters, 
the otherwise blank and unsightly wall. By no other culture/ 
with the same ground and the same care, can we obtain so 
much of gratification both for the eye and the palate. 

Grapes should be propagated from eyes and cuttings, and 
not from layers. They should have, if possible, a southern ex- 
posure. They may be grown either on a trellis or an arbor. 
The trellis is by far the best. For this you may set posts, six 
to eight feet out of ground. Then through holes in these, 




THE GABDEtf. 179 

about two feet apart, run strong annealed wire, and wedge it 
fast. Plant the vines from eight to ten feet apart, and prune 
them annually and thoroughly on the cane system. This is an 
important operation, and he, who has had no experience, will 
do well to employ, for the first time, some practiced hand. 
Autumn, as soon as the leaves have fallen, is the "best time for 
pruning grape-vines. 

Fruit trees should be planted in the fall, after the leaves 
have fallen. If not covenient to plant at this time, the opera- 
tion may be deferred tifl early spring. Great care should be 
taken of the roots and small fibres. The holes should be large 
enough to allow them to spread out in their natural position. 
Many err in planting too deep. Fruit trees do not flourish un- 
less, like other plants, they are cultivated. The ground around 
them should be well worked, occasionally top-dressed, and kept 
free from grass and weeds. 

The benefits which result from pruning fruit trees and 
shrubs, are not appreciated as they ought to be. Many seem 
to be afraid of the knife and saw. They cannot bear to cut 
away so much good wood, or to destroy so many buds that 
might ripen into fruit. But long and large experience have 
shown that in no other way can the best results be reached. To 
shape the tree — to lay it open for the admission of air and 
light — to hasten its bearing, and to improve its fruit in size 
and quality — are the objects and results of judicious pruning. 

Fruit trees may be pruned at any time during winter, or 
early in spring, before the sap begins to run. Summer pruning 
should be confined to repressing shoots of too luxuriant growth, 
by pinching out the terminal eye, and thinning out branches 
where they are too thick. But this is sometimes carried too far. 



180 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

Leaves have an important agency in the ripening process, and it 
is injurious to remove those which are near the fruit. The fruit 
of pear and other trees may often be thinned out, to the great 
improvement of that which is left. 

Currants and gooseberries should be grown to single stems — 
tree-form. They may be propagated from cuttings of the last 
wood (not so well by suckers) before growth begins in spring, or 
early in September. Kub out all the eyes excepting three or 
four at the top. For general purposes we commend the large 
Dutch currant. Others will be found^n our list. The wood of 
currants should be thinned out and cut back. 

It has been difficult to raise the gooseberry in this country, 
from its liability to mildew. There is an American variety 
(Houghton's seedling) which, according to our experience, is not 
open to this objection. We treat it as follows. At the bottom 
of the hole we place a mixture — one part of wood mould and two 
parts of old rotten manure. In the fall we top dress, and take 
care, especially in dry weather, to keep the soil open and porous. 
Gooseberries should be pruned late in the fall, or early in spring. 

As soon as the fruit of your raspberries is all gathered, cut 
down to the ground the stems which bore it, that the suckers, 
which are to be the fruit-bearers of the following year, may get 
air and light. These also, when numerous, should be thinned 
out. In spring, the lateral, or side branches, should be shortened 
in about a third of their length, and all dead wood removed. 
Some raspberries need to be covered during winter. 

For Asparagus, place about six inches of manure at the 
bottom of the bed, with a light vegetable mould above. The 
crown of the plant should not be more than three inches below 
the surface ; only that part which is above the ground is fit to 



THE GARDEN. 181 

eat. An occasional top-dressing of salt is beneficial. In fall, 
cover the beds with manure — not for protection, but for enrich- 
ment. The smallest family will need for this edible at least a 
square rod. There is no better mode of forming an asparagus 
bed than to plant the seed at once in the bed. When the 
plants are well up, thin them out, so as to stand a foot apart 
in the rows ; the latter should be about 18 inches apart. 

Strawberries. — In a small garden it is not well to grow 
many kinds, and these should be selected in reference to size, 
flavor, and productiveness combined. Foreign varieties do not 
succeed well with us ; our intense summer heat burns them 
up. A good selection may be made from the following : * — 
Hovey's Seedling, (P.) ; Longworth's Prolific, (H.) ; McAvoy's 
Superior, (P.) ; Boston Pine, (H.) ; Monroe Scarlet, (P.) ; 
Scott's Seedling, (H.) ; Moyamensing, (P.) ; Walker's Seedling, 
(H.) ; and Burr's New Pine, (P.) 

The best soil for strawberries is a heavy loam, to which has 
been added a good proportion of vegetable mould from the 
woods. A new soil, — an inverted sod, for example, — suits them 
best. The manure used should be old and well rotted, and 
thoroughly incorporated with the soil, which should be trenched 
two or three feet deep. An occasional top-dressing of ashes is 
beneficial. Beds are made in various ways. One of the best, for 
a small garden, is to place the plants a foot apart each way in a 
bed three feet wide, beginning at six inches from the edge, 

* The letters H. and P. denote respectively Hermaphrodite and Pistillate. The 
Hermaphrodites will fruit hy themselves — the Pistillates will not ; and this is why we 
sometimes see beds entirely unproductive, no regard having been paid to their sexual 
character. Let it he home in mind that Pistillates will not produce a crop of berries 
unless Hermaphrodites are planted near them. They need not be in the same beds, 
but near by, 



182 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

leaving a walk eighteen inches wide between the beds. A pistil- 
late variety may be planted in one bed, and an hermaphrodite in 
another. Beds may be made at almost any time, provided the 
plants are watered when the weather is dry. It is better to 
plant immediately after a rain. September and early spring are 
the best seasons. Plants put out in September, and even in 
October, will yield a fair crop the following spring. If carefully 
done, a tolerable crop may be had from plants put out in early 
spring. In the fall, give a top-dressing of manure between the 
rows. A slight covering of hay or straw will prevent the plants 
from being lifted by repeated freezings. No runners must be 
allowed to grow. Stir up the ground as soon as the frost is out, 
and put a little clean hay or straw on the ground to keep the 
berries clean. A bed carefully made, and well kept, ought to be 
productive five or six years. 

Whether in the vegetable, fruit, or flower garden, let it be 
remembered that the ground cannot be too frequently stirred, 
especially in dry weather. 

There should be in the vegetable garden a central walk, 
about four feet wide, for the passage of a wheelbarrow. For 
the other walks, a width of two and a half to three feet will 
suffice. 

A rose trellis, or an evergreen hedge, makes an appropriate 
screen between the flower and the vegetable gardens. 

Over the summer-house, if there be one, train the monthly 
honeysuckle. 

For piazza columns and cornice, and for the corner-posts of 
houses, the Wistaria sinensis, the Bignonia radicans, and the 
Bignonia grandiflora, are suitable and beautiful ornaments. So 
also are some of the running roses. 



THE GAKDEN. 183 

While you are building for yourself, build also for the birds. 
They are the natural friends of man, — his best protectors against 
the ravages of insect tribes. 

From the almost boundless catalogue of fruits, we have 
selected a number comparatively small. Yet even this list is too 
copious for the gardener on a moderate scale ; for we must repeat 
the injunction, that excellence, rather than variety, is the object 
to be aimed at. Among the pears, we have marked with a star 
those to which we give the preference. Where the ground is 
limited, it is better to duplicate these, than to take the others. 

We give but a short list of apples ; the tree not being so 
suitable for gardens as the pear. 

From the uncertainty which attends the raising of nectarines 
and apricots, we do not advise the planting of more than one of 
each sort ; and that should be in some sheltered situation. 

DWAEF PEAES. * OswegO BeUTT^, 

* Kostiezer, 

* Bartlett, * Seckel, 

* Dearborn's Seedling, * Sheldon, 
Ott, Boston, 

Beurre Clairgean, * Stevens's Genesee, 

* Beurre Diel, Tyson, 

* Livingston Pear, * Beurre d' Aremberg, 
Dix, * Easter Beurre, 
Doyenne Boussock, Beurre Langlier, 

* Doyenne Blanc (Yirgalieu), Doyenne Goubalt, 

* Duchesse d 1 Angouleme, * Grlout Morceau, 



Fondante d'Automne, * Lawrence, 

* Fulton, * Winter Nelis, 

* Louise Bonne de Jersey, Howell. 



184 



VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 



DWAEF APPLES. 


NEOTAEINES. 


Baldwin, 


Early Newington, 


Melon, 


Stan wick, 


Early Strawberry, 


Elruge, 


Northern Spy, 


Violet Hative. 


Swaar, 




Kambo. 


APEIOOTS. 


PLUMS. 


Moorpark, 


Coe's Golden Drop, 
Delice, 


Breda, 
Early Peach. 


Jefferson, 
Lawrence's Favorite, 


GEAPES. 


Green Gage, 


Catawba, 


"Washington. 


Isabella, 




Delaware, 


OHEEEIES. 


Diana. 


Black Tartarian, 
Downer's Late Red, 


QUINCE. 


Great Bigarreau, 


Apple Quince. 


Bigarrean Napoleon, 




"White Bigarreau, 


GOOSEBEEEIES. 


Belle de Choisy, 
May Duke, 


Houghton's Seedling, 


Eeine Hortense. 


"Whitesmith, 




Crown Bob, 


PEACHES. 


Early White, 
"White Eagle, etc. 



Crawford's Early, 
" Late, 

Early Newington, 
Early York, 
George the Fourth, 
Carpenter's Large "White. 



BLACKBEEEIES. 

New Rochelle, 
Boston High Bush, 
Parsley-leaved. 



THE GARDEN. 185 

CURRANTS. RASPBERRIES. 

Large Red Dutch, Red Antwerp, 

Large "White Dutch, Yellow Antwerp, 

Knight's Early Red, Brinckle's Orange, 

Bang-up (black), Franconia, 

White Grape, Oushing. 
Red Grape. 

The following list comprises a good collection of plants for a 
flower garden, from 40 to 50 feet square, or of equal area. 
The list might be greatly extended in number, but not much 
improved in quality. The addition of some choice bedding 
plants and annuals (indispensable in every garden) will furnish 
a supply of flowers during the whole season. 

We give the botanical and common names, time of bloom- 
ing, height of plants, and color of the flower. 

DECIDUOUS AND EVERGREEN SHRUBS. 

Magnolia purpurea, Purple Magnolia, May and June, 8 to 10 feet, purple. 

" Soulangeana, Soulange's Magnolia, May and June, 8 to 10 feet, pur. and white. 
Rhus cotinus, Venetian Sumach — Fringe tree, July to Sept., 8 to 10 feet, light purple. 
Euonymus Americanus, American Burning Bush, 5 to 8 feet ; covered with scarlet berries 

in fall and early winter. 
Euonymus \&t\£o\ms,Broad-leaved Burning Bush, 6 feet ; red berries in Sept. and Oct. 
Rhododendron Catawbiense, Catawba Rosebay, July, 8 to 10 feet, purple. 
Halesia tetraptera, Snowdrop, July, 10 feet, white. 

" diptera, Snowdrop, July, 10 feet, white. 
Viburnum opulus, Snowball — Guelder Rose, June and July, 6 to 8 feet, white. 
Philadelphus gracilis, Syringo — Mock Orange, June and July, 4 to 6 feet, white. 

" coronarius, Syringo — Mock Orange, June and July, 4 to 6 feet, white. 

Crataegus oxycantha rosea fl. pi., Double Red Hawthorn, June, 6 to 8 feet, red. 
Spii«a Reevesii, Reeves's Spirosa, June, 4 feet, white. 

" prunifolia pleno, Double White Spiraa, June, 4 feet, white. 

** trilobata, Three-lobed Spiraea, June, 4 feet, white. 



186 VILLAGE AND FAKM COTTAGES. 

Spiraea Douglassii, Douglass' Spiraa, August, 4 feet, rose. 

" crataegifolia, Tltorn-leaved Spiraea, July, 4 feet, white. 

" callosa, a new Spiraea in the style of Reeves's, red. 

" thalictroides, Meadow rue-leaved — St. Peter's Wreath, June and July, 4 to 6 
feet, white. 
Syringa Josickxa, Josick's Lilac, May and June, 6 feet, purple. 

" Persica, Persian Lilac, May and June, 6 feet, purple. 
Deutzia gracilis, Graceful Deutzia, June, 3 feet, white. 

" scabra, Bough-leaved Deutzia, June, 6 feet, white. 
Pyrus Japonica, Japan Quince, June, 4 feet, scarlet. 

Weigela (Diervilla) rosea, Rose-colored Weigela, May and June, 4 feet, rose. 
Chionanthus Virginicus, Virginia Fringe Tree, June, 8 to 10 feet, white. 
Clethra alnifolia, Alder-leaved Chthra, Aug. and Sept., 6 feet, white. 
Kahnia latifolia, Broad-leaved Kalmia, or Sheep Laurel, June, 4 feet, red. 
Calycanthusfloridus Sweet-scented Shrub, June, 4 feet, brown. 
Amygdalus pumila, Double-flowering Almond, May and June, 4 feet, red. 
Berberis ilicifolia, Holly-leaved Berberry, July, 4 feet, yellow. 

" purpurea, Purple-leaved Berberry, June, 4 feet, yellow. 
Forsythia viridissima, Green Forsythia, May, 4 feet, yellow. 
Daphne mezereum, Sweet-scented Daphne, May, 3 feet, pink. 
Styrax glabra, July, 6 feet, white. 
Coronilla emerus, Scorpion Senna, May, 3 feet, yellow. 
Hibiscus Syriacus, Rose of Sharon, Aug. to Oct., 6 feet, various ; the variegated leaved 

and the single red and white. The double varieties are not worth growing. 
Lonicera Tartarica, Upright Honeysuckle, May, 5 feet, various. 
Paeonia moutan, Tree P&ony, May and June, 3 feet, purple. 
Azalea (in varieties), Hardy Azalea, May and June, 3 feet, various. 
Aucuba Japonica, Gold-dust Shrub, 3 feet, a beautifully marked evergreen plant. 4 

Mahonia aquifolia, Holly-leaved Berberry, May and June, 3 feet, yellow. 
Cotoneaster microphylla, Small-leaved Cotoneaster, 1 foot, white ; bears brilliant scarlet 

berries. 
Euonymus Japonicus, Japan Euonymus, 4 feet. 
Crataegus pyracanthus, Evergreen Thorn, 2 feet ; bears reddish yellow berries. 

HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 

Dictamnus rubra, Red-flowering Dictamnics, May arjd June, 2 feet, red. 
" alba, White-flowering Dictamnus, May and June, 2 feet, white. 



THE GARDEN. 187 

Lychnis chalcedonica, Scarlet Lychnis, June to Aug., 2 feet, scarlet. 

" viscaria, Pink Lychnis, June to Aug., 2 feet, pink. 
Delphinium (in varieties), Perennial Larkspur, June to Oct., 2 to 4 feet, various. 
Phlox " " Perennial Phlox, June to Oct., 2 to 3 feet, various. 

Pseonia " " Herbaceous Paxmy, May to July, 2 to 3 feet, various. 

Campanula grandiflora, carpatica, etc., Bellflower, June to Oct., 2 to 4 feet, various. 
Plumbago Larpentge, Larpenfs Plumbago, July to Oct., \ foot, deep blue. 
Anemone Japonica, Japan Anemone, July to Sept., 1 foot, rose. 
Chelone barbata, Bearded Chelone, June, 1 to 2 feet, scarlet. 
Crucianella stylosa, Crucianella, June, ■£ foot, pink. 
Valeriana rubra, Garden Valerian, June and July, 2 feet, red. 

" officinalis, June and July, 2 feet, white. 
Myosotis palustris, Forget-me-not, June to Sept., £ foot, blue. 
Hepatica trilobata, Liverwort, May, 1 foot, pink. 
Dodecatheon meadia, American Cowslip, May and June, 1 foot, red. 
Alyssum saxatile, Golden Alyssum, May, 1 foot, yellow. 
Convallaria majalis, Lily of the Valley, May, 1 foot, white. 
Aquilegia glandulosa, Columbine, June to Aug., 1 to 2 feet, deep blue. 

" Canadensis, etc., Columbine, June to Aug., 1 to 2 feet, various. 
Lupinus polyphyllus, Perennial Lupin, June to July, 2 to 3 feet, blue. 

" grandiflorus, Perennial Lupin, June and July, 2 to 3 feet, blue. 
Pyrethrum parthenium (pleno), Double Feverfew, June to Oct., 1 to 2 feet, white. 
Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove, July to Sept., 2 to 3 feet, purple. 

" alba, Foxglove July to Sept., 2 to 3 feet, white. 
Lobelia cardinalis, Cardinal Flower, July to Sept., 2 to 3 feet, scarlet. 
Yucca filamentosa, Adam's Thread, June to July, 2 feet, white. 

" gloriosa, June and July, 2 feet, whitish green. 
Funkia Japonica, Bay Lily, August, 2 feet, whitish green. 
CEnothera macrocarpa, Evening Primrose, June to Sept., 1 foot, yellow. 

" Frazerii, etc., July, 2 to 3 feet, yellow. 
Stokesia cyanea, Blue Stohesia, July, 2 feet, blue. 
Spiraea Americana, Herbaceous Spiraea, July to Aug., 1 to 3 feet, red, 

" filipendula, June to August, 1 to 3 feet, white. 

" lobata, June to August, 1 to 3 feet, white. 

" Japonica, July to August, 1 to 3 feet, white. 
Adonis vernalis, Spring Adonis, April, 1 foot, yellow. 
Aconitus napellus, Monk's-hood, June to August, 3 to 4 feet, blue. 



188 VILLAGE AND FARM COTTAGES. 

Aconitus speciosus, Juno to August, 3 to 4 feet, blue. . 
Monarda didyma, June and July, 2 feet, scarlet. 

" gracilis, June and July, 2 feet, purple. 
Liliuin candidum, ^ 

" testaceum, 



longiflorum, etc., J 



, Lily, June to Oct., 2 to 4 feet, various, 
speciosum, rubrum et album, ' 



Dianthus (in varieties), Sweet Williams, Pinks, etc., June to Sept., 1 to 2 feet, various. 

Statice hybrida, etc., Sea Lavender, Thrift, June, 1 foot, various. 

Antirrhinum (in varieties), Snapdragon, June to Oct., 1 to 2 feet, various. 

Dielytra spectabilis, Dielytra, June to Sept., 2 to 3 feet, pink. 

Chrysanthemums (in varieties), Artemesia, Sept. and Oct., 1 to 4 feet, various. 

Primula " " Primrose, May and June, 1 foot, various. 

Iris " " Iris, May to July, 1 to 2 feet, various. 

Asclepias tuberosa, Millc Weed, July and August, 2 to 3 feet, orange red. 

Baptisia australis, Blue Baptisia, June and July, 2 feet, blue. 

Lathyrus latifolius, a climber, July to Sept., 4 to 6 feet, purple. 

Papaver orientale, Perennial Poppy, June and July, 3 feet, reddish yellow. 

Pentstemon atropurpureum, Pentstemon, July to Sept., 2 to 3 feet, purple. 

" gentianoides, Pentstemon, July to Sept., 2 to 3 feet, scarlet. 

Polemonium coeruleum, Greek Valerian, June, 1 to 2 feet, blue. 
Potentilla Hopwoodiana, Potentilla, June and July, 1 to 2 feet, yellowish red. 

" atrosanguinea, June and July, 1 foot, red. 
Sedum Sieboldii, Siebold's Stonecrop, Sept. and Oct., ^ foot, red. 
Veronica spicata, Speedwell, June to Oct., 1 to 2 feet, blue. 
Dracocephalum speciosum, Dragon's Head, June to Oct., 2 to 3 feet, pink. 
Vinca minor, Running Myrtle, July to Sept., $ foot, blue. 



Hedera helix, 
Jasminum humile, 
Aristolochia sipho, Lonicera in var., 

Ampelopsis hederacea, Menispermum Canadense, 

Bignonia radicans, Periploca Graeca, 

" grandiflora, Wistaria sinensis. 

Clematis in var., 



THE GARDEN. 



189 



CLIMBING ROSES. 



Queen of the Prairies, 
Baltimore Belle, 
Princess Adelaide Moss, 



Pride of Washington, 
Triumphant. 



HARDY PERPETUAL ROSES. 

Geant des Battailles, crimson. 
Antigone, deep rose. 
Baronne Prevost, deep rose. 
Augustine Michelet, deep red. 
Baronne Hallez, light crimson. 
Caroline de Sansal, jlesh color. 
Comte de Derby, bright rose. 
Dr. Marx, carmine. 
Duchess of Sutherland, pale rose. 
Standard of Marengo, ctimson. 
Lilacee, rose. 



La Reine, rosy Mac. 
Mrs. Elliott, rosy purple. 
Marquise Bocella, blush rose. 
Madame Trudeaux, light crimson. 
Madame Laffay, rosy crimson. 
Prince Albert, red. 
Rivers, crimson. 

Bouquet de Flore, rosy carmine. 
Dupetit Thouars, crimson. 
Henry Clay, bright rose. 
Hermosa, blush. 
Madame Aude, rose. 
Pierre de St. Cyr, pale rose. 
Bourbon Queen, rose. 
Pius IX., red. 
Malmaison, Jlesh color 
Agrippina, velvety crimson. 
Mrs. Bosanquet, flesh color. 



Persian Yellow. 

Microphylla alba. 

Herbemont's Musk Cluster, white. 




